...the top photographer

Pinoy wins slot in top photography masterclass

 

ABS-CBNnews.com

05/09/2013

 

 

An image from the award-winning photo essay “Marked: The Gangs of Baseco” by VJ Villafranca

MANILA, Philippines – A Filipino has won a slot at the World Press Photo’s 2013 Joop Swart Masterclass, the first Filipino photographer to be selected for the annual event, reputably among the most prestigious of its kind.

VJ Villafranca, who holds a Diploma in Photojournalism from the Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism (ACFJ) of the Ateneo de Manila University will join 11 other young men and women photographers from 10 countries for the six-day masterclass meeting on November 2 to in Amsterdam.

Michiel Munneke, World Press Photo executive director, made the announcement during the opening of the 2013 World Press Photo Exhibit in Amsterdam last month.

The masterclass is the second of two top international photography honors won by Villafranca. In 2008, while still a student, he won the London-based Ian Parry Scholarship award, the first Filipino to do so. His DPJ photo essay documenting the lives of gang members of the "Chinese Mafia Crew" living in Manila's Baseco compound won him the award. The photo essay is one of six photo essays in ACFJ’s traveling exhibit “Asian News in Pictures.”

“Hope” is the theme of the photo essays to be produced in this year’s masterclass. The photographers will interact with six prominent experts to discuss technical and visual aspects of their work, as well as their role as a photographer, according to a World Press Photo announcement.

The 2013 masterclass members were culled from 174 candidates from 54 countries whose portfolios were screened by an international jury.

The Joop Swart Masterclass is named after World Press Photo's late chairman, an ardent supporter of young photographic talent.

The Diploma in Photojournalism has been offered by ACFJ since 2006. It was developed under a grant from World Press Photo which also helped developed ACFJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism launched in 2011.

 

...the PH global universities

3 PH schools in global university rankings

 

 

by Purple Romero

Rappler.com
05/08/2013

 

MANILA, Philippines - Three Philippine universities made it into the 2013 QS World Rankings for Subjects, which lists the best schools for 30 disciplines including economics, psychology and law, among others.

The University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University were part of the top 51-100 schools for English Language and Literature, while De La Salle University is in top 101-150.

 

"Looking at the Philippines' overall performance, the country’s institutions are among the world’s top institutions for English Language and Literature," Ben Sowter, head of research at QS said.

 

Ateneo de Manila University also made it into the top 151-200 list for modern languages, while UP was in the 151-200 ranking for agriculture and forestry, QS said.

 

Harvard University was ranked number one in 10 disciplines, while the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked first in 7. The University of California, Berkeley and Oxford topped in 4 subjects, while Cambridge ranked first in 3. 

 

The QS World University Rankings by Subject series gathers the opinion of academics and employers through a global survey.

 

For 2013, the QS World University Rankings by Subject evaluated 2,858 universities and ranked 678 institutions. - Rappler.com

 

 

...the 3rd PH credit upgrade

Japan agency upgrades Phl rating

 

By Prinz P. Magtulis

The Philippine Star

May 8, 2013

 

MANILA, Philippines - Japan’s official debt watcher has upgraded the country to investment grade.
Japan Credit Rating Agency Ltd. revised its credit rating for the Philippines to BBB- from BB+, up one notch. The rating has a stable outlook.

The upgrade followed similar actions from major credit raters, Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P). Fitch raised the country’s sovereign rating last March, while S&P did it last week.

In its statement, JCRA noted the country’s “robust economic growth” achieved against the backdrop of “sound fiscal management.”

In particular, the Philippines is projected to grow “around six percent in the years to come” buoyed mainly by large remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFW) which are driving domestic demand.

“Its current account remains in surplus backed by OFW remittances and business process outsourcing revenues,” the agency said.

This, in effect, the rating’s agency said would further strengthen the country’s external position through accumulation of foreign reserves that would “enhance resilience to external shocks.

 

The balance of payments – which summarizes all inflows and outflows in a particular economy – hit a surplus of $1.535 billion as of the first quarter, central bank data show.

It is expected to widen to $3 billion by year-end driven by remittances projected to grow by an average of five percent this year.

As of February, cash remittances are already up seven percent to $3.363 billion, figures showed.
“The country’s financial system remained sound,” JCRA said.

“Philippine banks remained well capitalized with their average capital adequacy ratio kept high at 19 percent as of end-September 2012 as against the 10-percent regulatory standard set by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP),” it added.

In addition, the government’s balance sheet has remained in check, with the budget deficit at just 2.3 percent of economic output last year, lower than the 2.6-percent target.

Debts have also been managed well, JCRA said, pointing to successful efforts of lengthening debt payment terms and focus on borrowing in pesos to reduce foreign exchange exposure.

“The increase in the excise tax in tobacco and alcohol in 2013 may help expand revenues in the years ahead,” it explained.

Moving forward, the Aquino administration should set its sights in improving the country’s infrastructure by further “strengthening its tax base” to fund investment projects.

The BSP, for its part, should encourage further “deepening and diversification” of the financial markets to better utilize capital flows, JCRA explained.

“As the uncertainty persists over the prospects of the global economy, especially the European economy, JCRA will closely monitor its future developments and their possible impact to the Philippine economy,” the agency said.

...the New Frontiers Awardee 2013

Philippines recognised for efforts after 2012 typhoon

AMEinfo.com

United Arab Emirates

10 May 2013

"The Philippines, its government and its people, have shown remarkable fortitude and a stoic determination to get both communities and the local economy back on track following the devastation wreaked by Typhoon Bopha late last year, and their resilience in the face of such a monumental crisis is commendable," - Mark Walsh, Portfolio Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions



Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the Middle East's premier travel and tourism exhibition, has named the Philippines as the recipient of the New Frontiers Award 2013 during a special seminar event held on the second day of the show.

L-R Mr. Benito C. Bengzon, Jr., Assistant Secretary, International Tourism Promotions, Department of Tourism Middle East office - Philippines, receiving his award from Mark Walsh, Portfolio Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions.

Mr. Benito C. Bengzon, Jr., Assistant Secretary, International Tourism Promotions, Department of Tourism Middle East office - Philippines, accepted the award on behalf of the country's Department of Tourism from Mark Walsh, Portfolio Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, with previous recipients, Japan and Chile, represented respectively by Daisuke Matsunaga, Consul General of Japan, and Carlos Salas, the Chilean Trade Commissioner.
"The Philippines, its government and its people, have shown remarkable fortitude and a stoic determination to get both communities and the local economy back on track following the devastation wreaked by Typhoon Bopha late last year, and their resilience in the face of such a monumental crisis is commendable," said Walsh.

The award was made in recognition of the Philippines' ongoing efforts to rebuild physical infrastructure and its tourism economy in the wake of the December 2012 typhoon, which affected 6.2 million people in the south of the country leaving close to one million displaced persons.

Accepting the award, Benito C Bengzon Jr, said, "The Philippine government, under the administration of President Aquino, and the Department of Tourism have worked hand-in-hand to establish tourism as a major generator of income for the people and the country. At times of adversity, such as this, the determined spirit of our countrymen, supported by assistance from the international community, shines through and, it is this same spirit that is driving our tourism industry forward."

Typhoon Bopha was the deadliest in the world in 2012, damaging more than 216,000 houses and leveling large tracts of land including key public infrastructure and agricultural communities.

The subsequent development of the Typhoon Bopha Action Plan for Recovery requested $65m to provide immediate life-saving aid and support to the most-affected communities, with a total of $76m required to administer 46 projects through to the end of H1 2013 in order to fast track economic regeneration.

According to the latest figures released by the country's Department of Tourism, tourist traffic to the Philippines from the Middle East is showing steady growth with visitor arrivals for the first three months of the year showing a 22.1% growth against the same period last year.

Emirates has also announced that it will commence daily direct flights to Clark International Airport located in the north of the country on 1st October 2013, the second Philippines destination for the carrier. Cebu Pacific will also begin daily non-stop flights from Dubai to Manila in the same month.

A major initiative under the ATM brand, and now in its seventh year, the New Frontiers Award 2013 reinforced the overall focus of the programme, communicated under the theme 'Recover, Repair, Rebuild'.

Awarded to destinations that have overcome great adversity to bring much needed tourism back to their shores, the award also honours the strength and determination of the local people who work tirelessly to rebuild lives and communities following disaster as well as highlighting the crisis management capabilities of local tourism authorities.

"This year, as well as acknowledging the efforts of the Philippines in rebuilding its tourism infrastructure, we also looked back at past award recipients' Japan and Chile, and heard how the New Frontiers recognition has helped them on their road to recovery, and how they have rebuilt, or are continuing to reconstruct their respective tourism industries," remarked Walsh.

In addition to the prestigious crystal trophy, the New Frontiers Award comprises ATM exhibition space valued at US$10,000 along with additional marketing support in promoting the outstanding tourism opportunities offered by the recipient nation.

The Philippines was selected as winner of the New Frontiers Award 2013 by a panel of judges consisting of industry professionals from across the globe. From an original selection of 10 countries, which was then refined to a shortlist also comprising New York state (Hurricane Sandy) and Pakistan (2012 floods).

 

...the PH extraordinary upgrades

PH rating upgrades 'extraordinary'

 

 

Written by JIMMY CALAPATI

Malaya Business News Online  

Published on Friday, 10 May 2013

 

[The upgrade on the Philippines] is probably one of the fastest paths we have ever seen to investment grade,” - Mahendra Gursahani, StanChart Philippines CEO

 

 

 

How extraordinary these upgrades have been.

That is how Philippe Sachs, global head of Standard Chartered Bank’s public sector client coverage group, describes the fast climb of the country’s credit rating from “junk” to “investment grade”.
Sachs was enlisted by the Philippine government through the Investor Relations Office to be the country’s credit advisor for Fitch Ratings and Standard and Poor’s.

Fitch gave last March the country’s first investment grade rating. S&P followed last week.

“We basically placed on average for a country to be moved to take over a year. It happened way, way faster—BB+ to investment grade (on the average) 133 days. That is less than half a time from what you experienced elsewhere,” Sachs, who is based in Singapore, said in a video-conference yesterday.
So how difficult is it to graduate to investment grade?

Sachs said that out of the 127 sovereigns S&P monitors, only three countries graduated to investment grade in a short time.

“The hurdle is very high and the Philippines, from our analysis, is one of the few upgraded three notches within three years to investment grade,” Sachs said.

Mahendra Gursahani, StanChart Philippines CEO, said the rating agencies are “naturally more circumspect.”

“I think they take a longer term view, once they give it, the last thing they want to do is to call it wrong. They are naturally cautious… [The upgrade on the Philippines] is probably one of the fastest paths we have ever seen to investment grade,” Gursahani said.

Sachs said that the back-to-back upgrades were because, among other factors, the country’s continuous growth for the past years.

“You have accelerated growth in 2012 while growth has been slowing elsewhere. It’s really a phenomenal and unique outcome,” Sachs said.

For 2014, the government is targeting a GDP growth of between 7 and 8 percent.

Last year, the economy grew by 6.6 percent, almost twice bigger than 2011’s 3.9 percent but slightly lower than 2010’s 7.3 percent, a 30-year high.

Going forward, Sachs said that the agencies are looking for continued investments in productive sectors of the economy that will create jobs.

“Stable economy at the most. You got pretty strong and resilient growth, it’s not so much of a function of downside shocks per se, they will be looking at next generation of reforms,” he said.

Sachs and Gursahani said that key industries include tourism, business process outsourcing and the government’s private-public partnership.

“[They will look at] more foreign direct investments, more job creation,” Sachs said.

He also noted that the Philippines from a GDP per capita basis is lower compared to others in the same rating which means more the government should be able to provide more jobs.

Sachs said that the job is “pro bono.”

“[We] try to help [the sovereigns] engage the global community, to help countries tell their story. If the Philippines rises, we rise at the time as well,” Sachs said.

StanChart has been operating in the Philippines for 140 years, making it the second oldest foreign bank in the country.

“I would like to think that [the upgrade] will make a huge difference. [It will] make people come here,” Gursahani said.

“We spend a lot of time selling the Philippines, the promise of the Philippines. Three years ago, when we began working as a ratings advisor, the Philippines has a very unique situation…quite rare from all rating agencies,” Sachs said.

But Sachs said that there’s no better ambassador to the Philippines that the Filipino people.

 

...the bacteria research for waste water

Philippines may use bacteria to clean wastewater

Researchers are identifying ways to clean up polluted water bodies

 

By Gilbert P. Felongco, Correspondent
Gulf News (Dubai, UAE)
Published:  May 5, 2013

 

 

Manila: Philippine experts will be counting on an unlikely ally to help clean up the country’s polluted water systems — bacteria.
 

A research being conducted by the University of the Philippines in Los Banos and funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) are looking at certain types of bacteria to help improve wastewater quality.
 

According to an article published in the DoST website, a team headed by professor Arlene Llamado of UP Los Banos assessed the bacteria’s potential in wastewater treatment applications.
 

Llamado’s team isolated five bacteria cultures taken from the soil of an abandoned mine site in Mogpog in Marinduque, central Philippines, to determine if these can form biofilms. A biofilm is the slimy substance similar to slime on un-brushed teeth or the film on top of leftover soup. They are secreted by certain types of bacteria. In hospital settings, biofilm-forming bacteria are notorious for infections because they are resistant to antibiotics and cleaning agents.
 

While biofilms are by themselves unclean and make living things prone to infections, their potential as agents for eliminating other hazardous materials lie in their ability to attract positively charged metal ions such as those found in effluent wastewater. These can also be found in abandoned or contaminated mining sites.
 

The researchers wanted to leverage the ability of microorganisms to form biofilms as they are negatively charged and can, therefore, attach to positively charged metal ions.
 

“By the simple idea of negatively charged polymers attaching to positively charged ions, we actually have a potential to remove heavy metal ions from waste water,” Lllamado said.
 

Cleaning oil spills
 

It is known that such bacteria is employed in applications such as to remove oil spills.
 

Lllamado added that they had collected samples from abandoned mining sites where there is a low concentration of organic elements and high concentration of copper because they expected that bacteria living in these soils would be resistant to heavy metals.
 

“All of the bacteria samples isolated from the site exhibited ability to produce biofilms. Further evaluation showed that all of these isolates were capable of removing heavy metals in water-copper solution. The planktonic cells of each bacterial isolate ate up the copper within six hours of contact time,” she said.
 

According to Llamado, further studies are under way to test the ability of these bacterial isolates in removing metals in wastewater.
 

If the tests deliver results, there is a strong chance that bacteria could be used not only to clean up abandoned mine sites but also in contaminated river systems and tributaries.

 

...the Asia's first NBA Cafe

Asia's first NBA Café to open in Bonifacio Global City

May 6, 2013

GMA News

 

The first NBA Café in Asia will be located in the soon-to-open SM AURA Mall in Bonifacio Global City, according to the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the cafe's manager Hoopla Inc. on Monday.

This is the second league-owned restaurant set to open outside the U.S.; an NBA Café will also open in Madrid this year.

Scheduled to open here in September, the NBA Café will feature memorabilia displays, NBA highlights and programming, and an NBA retail area. It will also host viewing parties and appearances by NBA talent.

The menu will feature American bar and grill favorites and a selection of Asian-Filipino classics.

NBA legend Muggsy Bogues (third from right) dons a hard hat to visit the NBA Café construction site with NBA Asia and Hoopla executives.

 

 

 

NBA legend Muggsy Bogues, who was in the country for the finale of the Jr. NBA program, visited the cafe site.

“This is my first time in the Philippines and I’m overwhelmed by the passion the people have for basketball here,” said Bogues. “NBA Café will be a destination where fans here can watch games in an entertaining atmosphere that captures the history and excitement of the NBA.” — BM, GMA News