...the docu film Emmy nominee

Filipino-produced docu nominated in Emmys

 

ABS-CBNnews.com

07/13/2013

 

 

MANILA, Philippines -- "Give Up Tomorrow," a documentary film about a Filipino-Spanish teenager who was convicted in a 1997 massacre case, has been nominated in the prestigious Emmy Awards.

The documentary, produced by Filipino Marty Syjuco and directed by American filmmaker Michael Collins, is nominated in the News and Documentary competition.

This was announced early this week by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on its official website.

"Give Up Tomorrow" centers the controversial case of Paco Larranaga, a Filipino-Spanish student accused of the murder of the Chiong sisters in 1997 in Cebu.

Larranaga has been serving a life sentence for 16 years now.

The feature-length documentary, which was first screened in the Philippines last year as part of the Cinemalaya film festival, has been reaping recognition internationally since its New York premiere in 2011.

 

...the World Bank perspective

World Bank exec praises Philippines' macroeconomic policies

 

By Ronron Calunsod,

Kyodo News

07/12/2013

 

 

MANILA - A regional official of the World Bank on Friday described the Philippines' macroeconomic policies as "sound," commending in particular the government plan to expand its poverty intervention program that directly gives cash assistance to poor families.

Axel van Trotsenburg, World Bank vice president for East Asia and Pacific, said proof of the government's successful implementation of its macroeconomic policies, "including keeping good control of public indebtedness," is the market's positive reaction and the investment grade ratings the country received from two credit ratings agencies.

"If you look at the growth numbers like last year, it was 6.8 percent, and this year's first quarter of 7.8 percent, these are very respectable growth rates in an international environment that is complicated...this is a positive number that with a strong growth, you have a chance to create a lot more employment," van Trotsenburg said in a press conference that ended his six-day Philippine visit.

The Philippine government has attributed its impressive economic performance to good governance, sound spending, particularly on infrastructure, and strong domestic consumption.

Van Trotsenburg, who arrived in the country Monday and will leave Saturday, traveled to Mindanao, met with Muslim rebel leader Murad Ebrahim, inspected an informal settlers' community in Manila and meet with President Benigno Aquino.

He said, however, that despite the country's good economic performance, the Philippines needs to work harder to reduce poverty, create good-paying jobs and provide adequate housing.

The World Bank, he said, remains committed to support the Philippines towards these objectives, and proof of this was the transfer Friday of a $300 million-loan.

The Philippines' poverty rate was 27.9 percent last year and the unemployment rate was 7.5 percent in April this year.

"Poverty alleviation is a long-term effort. Poverty reduction is tough, and poverty reduction requires long-term commitment," van Trotsenburg said, adding the World Bank approves of the Philippines' intention to expand its conditional cash transfer program that covers more than three million poor families.

On ongoing peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, he said, "We at the bank think very firmly that peace is the future and long-term development will bring long-term benefits to the population," as well as a "real chance of good education, good health to children in Mindanao and subsequently the option to have jobs."

 

...the idea of internet

PHL the 'birthplace' of the internet?

July 11, 2013

 

 

 

The Philippines may have played a much more important role with regard to the Internet as we know it today other than being a mere .ph suffix in a Web address.

Douglas Engelbart, who died earlier this year, invented the mouse and devised an online setup to remotely fetch information—after he read an article in the Philippines.

Engelbart was a Navy technician when he read a 1945 article published at The Atlantic, "As We May Think," by mid-century science icon Vannevar Bush, The Atlantic reported.

Bush's essay had described the Memex, an information-retrieval system, where every "book, record, or communication" was microfilmed and catalogued.

The essay was published in LIFE magazine, a copy of which ended up in a Red Cross library in —guess where—Leyte.

Idea born in Leyte

Engelbart, then a Navy radar technician, never saw combat in World War II, as the war ended just as his boat left San Francisco Bay on its way to the Philippines.

It was in Leyte that Engelbart "stumbled across a Red Cross reading library in a native hut set on stilts, complete with thatched roof and plentiful bamboo," The Atlantic said.

"The ideas in the story plowed new intellectual terrain for Engelbart, and the seeds that he planted and nurtured there over the next twenty years grew, with the help of millions of others, into the Internet you see today," it added.

Engelbart eventually wrote Bush a letter describing how profoundly Bush's work affected him.

"I might add that this article of yours has probably influenced me quite basically. I remember finding it and avidly reading it in a Red Cross library on the edge of the jungle on Leyte, one of the Philippine Islands, in the fall of 1945," he wrote.

"I rediscovered your article about three years ago, and was rather startled to realized how much I had aligned my sights along the vector you had described. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the reading of this article sixteen and a half years ago hadn't had a real influence on my thoughts and actions," he added.

Obits

Engelbart had been lauded by the Los Angeles Times' obituary as the one whose work "inspired generations of scientists, demonstrated in the 1960s what could happen when computers talk to one another."

For his part, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak credited Engelbart's 1960s research "for everything we have in the way computers work today."

"So, in one tangible and real sense, the Internet we know now began in that hut across the world. As Bush made new thoughts possible for Engelbart, Engelbart made it possible for us to imagine the rest of it," The Atlantic said. — VC, GMA News

 

 

 

 

...the PH economy 2013 (IMF)

News Analysis: IMF raises growth forecast for Philippines but study shows income gap widens

 

(philstar.com) 

July 11, 2013

 

 

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The International Monetary Fund ( IMF) has again raised its growth forecast for the Philippines this year to 7 percent, which is the high-end of the 6-7 percent growth forecast of the government for 2013.

In media briefing on Wednesday, Shanaka Peiris, IMF's resident representative for the country, said that the Philippine economy relied heavily on domestic demand rather than export revenues that fuel the economies of neighbors like Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. "This showed that the country was one of the few emerging markets that could better cope with current global economic conditions,"Peiris said.

The Philippines, the IMF said, remains one of the few bright spots in the global economy, with domestic demand fueled by remittances from migrant workers and increased government spending expected to offset the slowdown in the developed world.

Remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), which the IMF expects to grow by 5 percent this year, also remain stable, fueling domestic demand.

OFW remittances are expected to reach $22.5 billion this year. Remittances from the country's 10 million migrant workers are the Philippines' biggest source of foreign exchange, which protects the economy from any sudden shortage of cash from overseas.

Amidst this positive assessment on the Philippines by the Washington-based multilateral financing institution, officials of the government of President Benigno Aquino III cannot seem put their act together on the question of whether the country's robust economic growth has reduced poverty or narrowed the gap between the rich and the poor.

A paper, written by Secretary General Jose Ramon Albert of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), detailed the country's national income accounts that supported the perception that the benefits of the robust economy were enjoyed more by the rich than the poor.

The NSCB is a government agency under the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the highest economic policy-making body of the government.

The paper confirmed that gap between the country's rich and poor is widening, with high-earning individuals enjoying significantly faster growth in incomes compared with people from the middle- and low-income classes.

Albert said that people from the high-income class, which account for between 15.1 and 15.9 percent of the country's population, enjoyed a 10.4 percent annual growth in income in 2011. The study used data covering 2010 and 2011.

In contrast, incomes of people in the middle-income segment grew by only 4.3 percent and incomes of those in the low-income group by 8.2 percent.

But Malacanang, the seat of the Philippine government, on Wednesday debunked the findings of one of its own agencies, saying that poverty is not widespread and the gap between the rich and poor in the country has not widened.

"I'm not sure if that's correct. There has been growth even in the lowest levels," Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said at a briefing, disputing the conclusion of an NSCB study.

Lacierda pointed to the continued increase in the income levels of Filipinos belonging to the middle class. "For instance, there's a growth (in income) of 8 percent in the lowest level; 4.3 percent in the middle income; and, from the high (income individuals), it is about 10 (percent). All those growths, if you notice, are above inflation rates. Inflation is 3. 2 (percent). There's real growth even in the low level," he said.

This was the second time that the Aquino administration questioned data from the NSCB, which are based on official statistics.

In April this year, President Aquino himself doubted the veracity of poverty statistics released by the NSCB that indicated that economic growth had hardly made a dent in poverty incidence in the country.
The NSCB reported that the poverty incidence stood at 27.9 percent in the first semester of 2012 - a level that was " practically unchanged" from the same period in 2009 (28.6 percent) and 2006 (28.8 percent).

Lacierda insisted that the Aquino administration was pursuing its"inclusive growth" policy but added that"it's not going to happen overnight."

Meanwhile, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the country's central bank, announced Wednesday that foreign direct investments (FDIs) to the country reached a net inflow of $202 million for April, up 61 percent year-on-year.

The net inflow for April was a reversal from the $78 million in FDI capital that left the country the month before.

This brought the year-to-date level to a net inflow of $1.5 billion, roughly just slightly lower than the level in the same four-month period in 2012.

 

...the PH Global Innovation ranking

PH ranking in Global Innovation Index improves

By Amy R. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sunday, July 7th, 2013

 

 

The Philippines was ranked the 90th most innovative economy in the world this year, according to the Global Innovation Index 2013.

This was an improvement from its 95th position last year, which was attributed to the perceived positive changes in the country’s business institutions and market sophistication.

Global Innovation Index is an annual publication of a composite indicator that ranks countries/economies in terms of their enabling environment to innovation and their innovation outputs. It is published by Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization and covers 142 countries.

It recognizes the “key role of innovation as a driver of economic growth and prosperity, and the need for a broad horizontal vision of innovation applicable to developed and emerging economies.”

According to the GII 2013, the Philippines scored 31.18 out of 100, based on 84 indicators that gauged the innovation capabilities and policy performances of 142 nations.

This year’s report, according to a statement, “casts additional light on the local dynamics of innovation, an area which has remained under-measured globally.”

“Dynamic innovation hubs are multiplying around the world despite the difficult state of the global economy. These hubs leverage local advantages with a global outlook on markets and talent,” WIPO director general Francis Gurry said in a statement.

The top 5 in the GII 2013 are Switzerland, Sweden, United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the United States.

Based on the GII 2013, the Philippines showed improvement in the “Institutions” indicator, scoring 44.8 and placing 128th, up from last year’s score and ranking of 34.6 and 132nd, respectively.

The country was also perceived to have advanced in terms of market sophistication (with a score of 41.75 and ranking of 95th). Among the factors gauged are the ease of getting credit, ease of protecting investors, market capitalization and trade and competition.

In terms of “creative outputs,” the Philippines rose to the 91st place from 108th last year. This measured the intangible assets of the economy, creative goods/services and online creativity.

The Philippines, however, fell in the infrastructure ranking to 78th from 69th place in 2012. This measures the country’s access and use of information and communication technologies, general infrastructure (in terms of electricity and logistics), and ecological sustainability (environmental performance).

Some of the country’s strengths cited by GII 2013 were the availability of graduates in science and engineering; market capitalization; research and development financed by business; innovation linkages, and communication, computer and information, services exports.

 

...the PH Math Wizzards in Bulgaria

PH elementary schools win 16 medals in Bulgaria math fest

By Jerry E. Esplanada
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sunday, July 7th, 2013

 

 

MANILA, Philippines — With a 16-medal haul, the Philippine elementary mathematics team topped the primary division in the just-ended 2013 Bulgaria International Math Competition (BIMC), held June 30 to July 4 in the Black Sea city of Burgas.

The good news was relayed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Sunday by Dr. Simon Chua, president of the non-government Mathematics Trainers’ Guild of the Philippines (MTG) and head of the Philippine delegation to the 29-country contest.

The young Filipino math wizards, mostly students from Metro Manila private schools, bagged three gold, four silver, four bronze and five merit medals in the annual competition. The teams from Vietnam and Thailand placed second and third overall.

In an e-mail, Chua also said that the Philippine high school team bagged a total of 14 medals, but failed to land in the Top 3, where the teams from Japan, Hong Kong and China emerged as champions.

The Filipino medalists in the elementary level were: (Gold) Jinger Chong from St. Jude Catholic School; Shaquille Wyan Que from Grace Christian College; and Vicente Raphael Chan from Zamboanga Chong Hua High School. (Silver) Stefan Marcus Ang from St. Jude Catholic School, Steven John Wang from UNO High School, Jose Ignacio Locsin from St. John Institute in Bacolod City, and Tiffany Mae Ong from Immaculate Conception Academy; (Bronze) Luke Matthew Bernardo from Philadelphia High School, Adam Christopher Chan from Grace Christian College, Ryan Mark Shao from Xavier School, and Eason Wong from Philippine Cultural College.

The merit medal winners were William Joshua King from Bethany Christian School in Cebu City, Anna Nicola Baizas from Philippine Science High School, Jaymi Mae Ching from Jubilee Christian Academy, Alyana Zoie Chua from MGC New Life Christian Academy, and Christopher Jose Carlos from Ateneo de Manila University.

In the high school division, the country’s medals came courtesy of the following: (Gold) Clyde Wesley Ang from Chiang Kai Shek College and Farrell Eldrian Wu from MGC New Life Christian Academy; (Silver) John Thomas Chutak from St. Stephen’s High School, Shawn Gabriel Cabanes from Zamboanga Chong Hua High School and Sedrick Scott Keh from Xavier School; (Bronze) Kelsey Lim and Kaye Janelle Yao, both from Grace Christian College; Andrew Lawrence Sy from Xavier School, Andrea Jessica Jaba from St. Jude Catholic School; Nathanael Joshua Balete from St. Stephen’s High School, and John Aries Hingan from San Beda College-Alabang.

The merit medalists were Genmark Tanno from Southville International School, Joseph Raymond Fadri from Makati Science High School and Andrew Brandon Ong from Chaing Kai Shek College.
The following countries also took part in this year’s BIMC: US, Russia, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Iran, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Romania, Taiwan, South Africa, and the Netherlands, among others.

The other members of the Philippine delegation were Director Lolita Andrada of the Department of Education; Director Filma Brawner of the Science Education Institute of the Department of Science and Technology; and Rechilda Villame, Dr. Eduardo dela Cruz, Arvie Ubarro, Isidro Aguilar, Joseph Wee, and Robert Degolacion, all team coaches and MTG officials.

After a six-hour bus trip from Burgas to Istanbul on Friday, the group took a connecting flight to Dubai before returning to Manila the following day.