...the Pinay's winning international photo

Pinay's photo wins in intl contest on gender, sexuality

GMA News

June 21, 2013

 

Out of 3,257 entries, a Filipino photographer's shot won the best photo award in an international contest on gender and sexuality.

 

 

Cindy Aquino's photograph from her "Bond" series, which shows two tattooed women placing their hands on one another in a quiet moment, earned the Pride Photo Award 2013, organizers said in a statement.

 

 

Aquino's winning photo, which can be viewed here, "shows a very human, intimate moment, very delicately told." said the jury that reviewed the entries.

Philippine photographer Cindy Aquino is the winner of the Pride Photo Award 2013 with a photo from her series ‘Bond’

 

“A lot of my friends are experiencing discrimination based on their sexuality and gender identity. I want to show society that lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders are perfectly normal," Aquino said in the statement.

 

 

"Like everyone else in this world, they just want to find love, bond with others and live a happy life," she continued.
 

CNN published a story about the contest, and also interviewed Aquino about her photographs' concept.

 

 

Her series also placed second in the "Extremely Normal" category. Aquino found a "deeper meaning" in the process.

 

 

"I used the term 'bond' to show the society that even LGBT are like normal people (who) just want to be happy with their lives, love and bond with each other like others do, to develop interpersonal relationships with each other,” Aquino said in the CNN article.
 

She spoke of the discrimination against the gay community in the Philippines, and the fight of its members for acceptance.
 

"I know the issues and problems that they are dealing (with), especially here in the Philippines; Pinoys are very conservative when it comes to that issue,” Aquino said in the article.

 

 

“There’s a lot of discrimination going on, and most of the society still does not accept them," she also said. — Gian C. Geronimo, ELR, GMA News

 

 

...the Cannes Festival of Creativity top awardee

Entertainment

Pinoys roar at Cannes Lions 2013

byRappler.com
06/21/2013

 

 

STRIKING AND IMMEDIATE. The Schick Icons graphics won in the Outdoor Lions category. Photo courtesy of Zak Yuson

MANILA, Philippines - Pinoy pride fueled an overflow of creative juices as Filipinos took home the top awards in the 60th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

DM9JaymeSyfu, JWT Manila, Y&R Philippines, and Ace Saatchi & Saatchi took home a total of 8 Lions in different categories, with campaigns ranging from public service to ambient media.

Touted as the world's biggest celebration of creativity in communications, the Cannes Lions is an annual gathering of advertisers and marketing professionals. Each year, tens of thousands of delegates from over 90 countries convene to celebrate their industry and compete to take home the coveted Lions.

Pinoy Lions

DM9's campaign for Smart Communications was awarded the country's first Mobile Lions Grand Prix, the highest distinction in the category, for its literacy campaign via mobile technology, "Smart TXTBKS."

JWT Manila was awarded a Gold Lion in the Outdoor Lions category for its Energizer Schick Icons poster campaign. The campaign marketed the men's razor brand through black and white graphics (the lead photo of this report) portraying such icons as Charlie Chaplin, Salvador Dali, the Guy Fawkes mask and Mr. T.

The jurors were impressed by the ad. In an interview with Adobo Magazine, Tony Granger, who presided over the Outdoor Lions category, said he found the image "striking and immediate" and "a solid Gold Lion."

A member of the JWT team, art director Danielle Lim, expressed elation over the news. She noted that the outdoor category is "one of the toughest" in the competition.

Y&R Philippines' earned 3 Lions for Maynilad Water's "Dengue Bottle" campaign – a silver in the media category and two Bronze Lions in the outdoor category and the promo and activation category.

Ace Saatchi & Saatchi's "Screen-Age Love Story," a campaign for PLDT MyDSL presenting the personal side of digital communication, won a silver and a bronze in the media category, while its Ariel "Olympic Shirt Flag," upholding nationalism and Pinoy Pride, was awarded a bronze.
Watch the highlights of the festival here:



- Rappler.com

 

...the preferred BPO site

'PH still among preferred sites for BPOs'

 

By Ted P. Torres,

The Philippine Star

06/21/2013

 

 

MANILA -- The Philippines remains among the preferred sites for business process outsourcing (BPO), according to a leading US-based BPO and information technology (IT) company.

 

Shore Solutions Inc., one of the bigger players in the BPO business, said revenues from the BPO industry in the Philippines is expected to hit $16 billion this year, or almost 20 percent higher than the $13.4 billion last year.

It noted that with increasing demand from prospective investors and subscribers, the industry would need at least 1.3 million direct hires by 2016 from 720,000 last year.

“That should require 516,000 additional seats, and some 2.5 million square meters of additional office space,” Darcey Lalonde, Asia chief executive officer of Shore Solutions said in a forum yesterday.

The industry employed over 720,000 in 2012, with another 1.6 million indirectly.

Expansion has already been noted in the key urban centers outside Metro Manila such as Cebu and Davao.

In Metro Manila, the major BPO centers are in Makati, Quezon City, Manila, Taguig and Mandaluyong.

Lalonde said that the next or third wave of BPOs is targeting key cities in Laguna, Batangas and Bacolod.

However, he said government should consider anew opening up to a limited extent or to select sectors, ownership of land to foreign entities.

...the resilient economy (IMF)

IMF says PH can weather market volatility

 

by Kathleen A. Martin,

ABS-CBNnews.com

06/20/2013

 

 

 

MANILA -- The Philippines can endure market volatility with its current robust economic growth and strong fundamentals, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday.

 

Shanaka Peiris, IMF Representative to the Philippines, made the comment as the Philippine stock market recorded losses and the peso weakend on Thursday morning, following a US Federal Reserve announcement that it will reduce stimulus due to an improving US economy.

"The Philippine condition is very strong, reserves are very high and that is the first line of defense... you can smooth down the volatility," Peiris told reporters on Thursday.

Peiris noted that "markets are markets, they're supposed to react."

Us Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday (early Thursday in Manila) said the US central bank will decrease bond purchases amid an improving US economy.

His announcements resulted in sell-offs in Asian markets, including the Philippines', and weakening in regional currencies against the greenback.

"It's a gradual tapering off so it's kind of what the market was expecting...It's very gradual pull out so there's nothing to worry about," said.

Earlier on Thursday, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Department of Finance said market and peso's volatility following the US Fed's comment was expected, allaying fears such may destabilize the current strong economy.

"Such expectation should recognize that the US Fed is gunning for a gradual, calibrated reduction of monetary stimulus," BSP Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo said in a text message to reporters. "Thus, economies and markets should take advantage of the space to do the required rebalancing and appropriate adjustment."

...the ASEAN growth leader

Philippines to lead growth among region's investment darlings – DBS Ltd.

GMA News

June 18, 2013

 

 

The expectations continue to rise for the Philippine economy's growth prospects.

The country is seen to have the highest growth potential in the eight years to 2020 among Southeast Asia's new investment darlings – Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, or the TIP economies, a new report said. But the report's author, Singapore-based DBS Ltd. economist Eugene Leow, warned: “For the Philippines, it is easy to remember the many false dawns over the last few decades."

Manila is seen to have the highest growth potential in the years to 2020 among Southeast Asia's new investment darlings – Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, or the TIP economies, a new report said.

In a June 18 report titled “Road map to 2020: TH, ID, PH,” Singapore-based DBS Ltd. economist Eugene Leow said, “The Philippines has the highest growth potential amongst the TIP economies.”

Thailand's gross domestic product (GDP) growth is seen averaging at 5.2 percent until 2020, while both Indonesia and the Philippines' expansion for the eight-year period is projected at 6.3 percent, according to the report.

Leow said the Philippines “can potentially run at trend GDP growth of 7  to 8 percent,” as its healthy fiscal position, manageable inflation and a financial system awash with cash has yet to be fully utilized.

But he said, “A more conservative growth figure of 6 to 6.5 percent is realistic in the coming eight years as we factor in a gradual improvement in investment rates.”

The report noted that attracting sufficient investments along with generating jobs and utilizing human capital effectively will remain the “key challenges.”

Even as the Philippines' largely consumption-driven economy grew at the fastest rate in Asia at 7.8 percent in the first quarter, foreign direct investments (FDI) remain the region's lowest at $1.3 billion in the period.

Low investments from both domestic and international fronts has seen joblessness at a stubbornly high 7.5 percent of the labor force.

FDI as a percentage of GDP is projected to rise towards 3 percent in 2016 from 1 percent in 2012, while domestic investment is also likely to pick up, pushing capital formation as a proportion output to 25 percent in 2016 from 20 percent in 2012, according to DBS.

Leow said this forms part of the Philippines transitioning into a more investment driven economy.

“Investor perception of the Philippines has changed... [T]he Philippines is several years behind Indonesia and is only in the nascent stages of investment-led growth,” the report read.

Debt-watchers Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services' decision to award the country investment grades are seen o fuel much needed foreign and domestic investments.

Investments are also seen to benefit from big-ticket infrastructure projects under the flagship public-private partnership program.

The report noted that “the Philippines has the strongest external account balance, a banking sector best able to extend credit and a solid fiscal policy that is not threatened by heavy subsidy spending.”

“For the Philippines, it is easy to remember the many false dawns over the last few decades,” Leow said.

“But the current turnaround holds much promise even as the country needs to attract real investment,” he added. — Siegfrid O. Alegado/BM/HS, GMA News