...the Emirates Woman of the Year

Pinay chosen as Emirates Woman of the Year 2013

by Rappler.com
10/12/2013

VISIONARY. Filipina Mary Jane Alvero Al Mahdi is honored with UAE's Woman of the Year Award 2013. Photo from Mary Jane's Facebook page.

MANILA, Philippines – Mary Jane Alvero Al Mahdi, 43, used to work in a textile factory. She used to make only 1,000 dirham a month (or about P11,000 a month), according to Gulf News’ Friday Magazine. She is now the CEO of Geoscience Testing Laboratory, a leading independent testing laboratory in the Middle East.

 

She told Gulf News in an interview in 2012, “While we were young, we lived in absolute comfort as my father’s business was thriving. But once his lung condition worsened, he was forced to remain confined to his bed and his business suffered."

 

Al Mahdi, determined to help her father, took part-time jobs, including working at a fast-food chain while she was studying chemical engineering.

 

“I went from riches to rags, and then back to riches,” Alvero told Gulf News. She first worked as a trainee for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) when she graduated in 1991. Her first project there was assisting in the revival of the Pasig River.

 

In 1992 she left for Dubai and worked in a textile factory before she took on a job as a quality assurance officer for Geoscience Testing Laboratory. 10 years later she was named its CEO.

 

“I dreamed of mentoring more people, especially my female compatriots in the UAE,” Al Mahdi said in an interview with GN.

 

According to the UAE’s The National, her most recent award is just one of dozens of accolades. Al Mahdi was honored as the runner-up of the Emirates Businesswoman Award in 2008 and named one of the 100 Most Influential Filipinas by the Filipina Women’s Network (FWN) just earlier this year.

 

On the Emirates Woman of the Year Awards 2013 official website, they said, “She was instrumental in growing her team from eight to over 450 staff. Despite her busy corporate role, Mary also finds time to give back to the community through charitable causes and set up 'The Livelihood Programme' helping people in the UAE upgrade their skills with free education.” She’s also started a private foundation to help street kids in the Philippines.

 

“My wife is an extraordinary Filipina with a unique success story,” her Emirati husband Mohammed Al Mahdi told The National.

 

Al Mahdi said, “I was given a standing ovation during my acceptance speech. I really didn’t expect that.”

 

Upon learning of the award she posted a simple thank you message on her Facebook wall: To God be the glory. – Rappler.com

 

 

...the PH cities in New 7 wonders tilt

Cebu, Iloilo, Vigan vie for New7Wonders title

 

By Kim Arveen Patria

Yahoo Southeast Asia Newsroom

Fri, Oct 11, 2013

 

rajkumar1220 - Mestizo District, Vigan, Luzon, Philippines

After the Puerto Princesa underground river was named one of the new wonders of nature, three Philippine cities are now being recognized by Swiss firm New7Wonders.

The cities of Cebu, Iloilo and Vigan bested more than 200 other cities to be part of “long list” of 77 revealed by New7Wonders President Bernard Weber October 7.

The “long list” of 77 is based on the results of online voting which began in March 2012. More than 300 cities were initially considered from nominations sent from around the world.

“Global in its scope, this remarkable New7Wonders long list reflects the energy and culture of the city at its best,” Weber said in the New7Wonders website.

“[C]ities remind us of the possibilities of civilization when, for the first time in history, more than half of the world’s population live in cities,” he added.

The list of 77 will further be trimmed to 28 and will be subjected to online voting by October 21. The top seven cities will be announced by year-end 2014.

Weber earlier said he hopes the campaign will be a “catalyst for discussing everything from urban planning to metropolitan governance, from tourism to architecture.”

The New7Wonders Cities is the third global voting campaign by the Swiss firm, after the man-made New 7 Wonders of the World and the New7Wonders of Nature.

In 2011, Palawan’s famed Subterranean River National Park was named as one of the world’s New7Wonders of Nature, amid an aggressive campaign by local officials.

Weber said, “My hope is that the New7Wonders Cities campaign will generate debate about the challenges cities face… and how they are responding to them.”

The cities Cebu, Iloilo and Vigan would have to compete with the following cities so far to be among the New7Wonders Cities:

Accra, Ghana
Asuncion, Paraguay
Athens, Greece
Auckland, New Zealand
Baghdad, Iraq
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Bangkok, Thailand
Barcelona, Spain
Beirut, Lebanon
Bethlehem, Palestine
Bogota, Colombia
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Cairo, Egypt
Casablanca, Morocco
Caracas, Venezuela
Cuenca, Ecuador
Chicago, U.S.
Curitiba, Brazil
Cusco, Peru
Doha, Qatar
Dubai, UAE
Durban, South Africa
Edinburgh, UK
Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Havana, Cuba
Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Istanbul, Turkey
Jakarta, Indonesia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kyoto, Japan
La Paz, Bolivia
Lagos, Nigeria
Las Vegas, U.S.
Lima, Peru
London, UK
Mendoza, Argentina
Mexico City, Mexico
Miami, U.S.
Montevideo, Uruguay
Montreal, Canada
Mumbai, India
Muscat, Oman
Naples, Italy
Nadi, Fiji
Nairobi, Kenya
New York, U.S.
Panama, Panama
Paris, France
Perth, Australia
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Prague, Czech Republic
Quito, Ecuador
Reykjavik, Iceland
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rome, Italy
St. Petersburg, Russia
San Jose, Costa Rica
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Santiago, Chile
Seattle, U.S.
Seoul, South Korea
Shenzhen, China
Singapore, Singapore
Surakarta, Indonesia
Sydney, Australia
Tehran, Iran
Tokyo, Japan
Toronto, Canada
Valparaiso, Chile
Vancouver, Canada
Vientiane, Laos
Zurich, Switzerland

 

 

...the PH virtuous cycle of investment

Philippines amid 'virtuous cycle' of investments, says Goldman Sachs exec

By: Maricel E. Burgonio,
InterAksyon.com
October 9, 2013

 

MANILA - Expect not only more investments in the Philippines, but also more local companies venturing overseas, following the country's promotion to investment grade, a Goldman Sachs executive said today.

In a media briefing, Goldman Sachs vice chairman Tim Leissner said the Philippine economy would grow 6.8 percent, or near the higher end of the government's target range of 6-7 percent for this year.

For next year, growth would settle at 5.5 percent.

"There’s a virtuous cycle right now of positive investments here," Leissner said.

He said the peso could appreciate to P40 against the US dollar next year from P43.5 this year on account of more inflows of portfolio and foreign direct investments.

“We’re not concerned more on risk, but on keeping the momentum. There’s a new gain of confidence level. They're starting to look outside the Philippines," Leissner said, referring to local companies.

He said local corporates -- including consumer and financial firms -- are starting to expand abroad, not only in Asia but also in the US.

In turn, international investing community is looking at the Philippines with interest, particularly in the area of infrastructure, which Leissner said should remain the government's focus.

“Philippines is one of the big investment destination because of the growth of confidence. The corporate and bond market will be very active. We see that in 2014. The tapering of the US which was held off for a while is good for the bond issuance and currencies as well,” Leissner said, referring to the US Federal Reserve decision to hold off the withdrawal of its economic stimulus.

 

...the inevitable change

PH among countries most ready for change

 

By Kim Arveen Patria

Yahoo Southeast Asia Newsroom

Wed, Oct 9, 2013

Yahoo Southeast Asia Newsroom/Yen Baet - Yen Baet also took this shot of the Makati skyline. (Photo by Yen Baet)

 

 

The Philippines may not be among the richest countries, but it is more prepared for change compared to higher-income economies, a new report showed.

The country was the top performer among lower-middle income countries in the 2013 Change Readiness Index by Swiss audit, tax and advisory firm KPMG.

Globally, the country ranked 18th out of 90 in 2013, up from 38th out of 60 a year ago. It ranked 4th among developing economies and 3rd in Southeast Asia.

This means Filipinos are in a better position to cope with negative shocks as natural disasters and to grab opportunities such as technological or market growth.

Readiness for change, KMPG said, has “significant impact on [a country’s] ability to achieve sustained economic growth and share the benefits of that growth with all of its citizens.”

The Philippines’ best score was in terms of government capability where it ranked 14th. It ranked 23rd in enterprise capability and 26th in people and civil society capability.

The country is “exceeding expectations” within its income category, KMPG said, adding that the Philippines outperformed many countries at higher income levels.

“What this shows is that low or relatively low income is not an insurmountable barrier to enhanced change readiness,” the KPMG said in its report.

This is “an encouraging message for lower income countries with ambitious aspirations,” it added.

The report however noted that the slowdown in the pace of economic reform in the Philippines may impact its readiness for change.

“While the Philippine government appears committed to pushing through reforms, it is impeded by the difficulty in achieving sufficient political consensus to drive further progress,” the report said.

 

 

...the PH growth forecast 2013 (World Bank)

World Bank raises PH growth forecast, lowers most of Asia

 

 

 

ANC
07 October 2013


The World Bank on Monday raised its Philippine growth forecast, making the country a standout as the bank cuts its projections for most of the rest of Asia.

The World Bank predicted a 7% growth for the country this year form an original forecast of 6.2%.

According to the World Bank, increased infrastructure spending would add to the boost provided by consumer spending, remittances and business process outsourcing.

The Philippine economy grew 7.6% in the first half of the year, well above the 7% World Bank projection.

In a phone interview with ANC's News Now @ 3PM, Jun Neri, an economist from Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) said the country remains a standout in the region because unlike countries reliant on exports, our economic growth is not dependent on the performance of the biggest economies.

"It's not dependent on how the biggest economies in the world perform in the next quarters. Our own engine is pushing us forward," Neri said.

The rest of Asia are projected to have slower than expected growth as the United States slowed down its economic stimulus.

Earlier, the US government began a shutdown as Congress failed to agree on a new budget.

Last week, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) also raised its growth forecast for the Philippines while cutting its projections for most other Asian economies.

Like the ADB, the World Bank also noted that job creation remains the biggest challenge in the Philippines.

Investors cheered the World Bank's upgraded economic growth for the country as a total 1,390,903,228 shares traded hands on Monday.

Philippine shares closed up 0.83% or 52.73 points to 6,443.21.