MANILA, Philippines - The energy Globe Foundation has selected two Philippine projects as winners of the energy Globe Awards, which proponents dubbed as the largest and most important environmental prize worldwide.
Founded in 1999 by Austrian
energy pioneer Wolfgang Neumann, the awards are given annually to projects
focusing on energy efficiency and renewable energies.
It covers more than 170 participating countries and over
1500 project submissions annually.
In the Philippines, the first winning project is the “Bell and
Bottle: Low cost early warning system for landslide prone communities in remote
areas” by David Manalo of the Farming Systems and Soil Resources Institute
(FSSRI) of the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
The other winning project is by Apolinario Carino of the
non-profit Pederasyon sa Nagkahiusang mga Mag-uuma nga Nanalipud ug
Nagpasig-uli sa Kinaiyahan Inc. (Penagmannaki) dubbed as the “Rainforestation:
A community-based forest restoration initiative on Negros Island.”
The two winners received an Energy Globe Certificate signed
by Energy Globe Jury chairperson Maneka Gandhi and Energy Globe’s founder,
Wolfgang Neumann.
The award for Dr. Manalo was presented by the Austrian
Embassy – Commercial Section on behalf of the Energy Globe Foundation
last May 19, while the award for Carino will be presented at a later date.
Dr. Manalo received the winner’s certificate from Commercial
Counsellor Lisa Koscak and Albay Governor Joey Salceda.
According to the Energy Globe Foundation, Manalo’s Bell and
Bottle innovation is as early warning system for landslide prone communities
which are often in hard-to-reach areas where modern transportation and
communication facilities are lacking.
“The project established the critical rainfall rates at
which landslides will most probably occur and the people were trained to use an
empty soda bottle (cut into half and turned upside down) to measure the
rainfall. Once the rainfall readings reached the critical rainfall levels, the
people will hit the bells (made of old gas tanks) to inform and advice the
whole community for preparation and evacuation to safe areas,” the Foundation
said.
At least 20 villages have already benefitted from the
project and no more casualties were reported in the project site since the
installation of the Bell and bottle early warning system, according to the
Foundation.
Carino’s Rainforestation project, meanwhile, involves restoration
farming through the planting of native or indigenous tree species in
combination with agricultural crops.
“The two-ha rainforestation demonstration site in Negros
Oriental proved that planting indigenous and endemic trees can be done along
with income-generating fruit trees, cash crops, ornamental plants and cut
flowers which provided additional livelihood opportunities for the community,”
the Foundation said, noting that six municipalities have adopted the program.
The foundation will announce the other winners in other countries.
More
than 40,000 Filipinos became permanent residents of Canada in 2014, making the
Philippines the top source country for Canadian immigration last year. The
Philippines had previously been the top source country in 2012, with China
having been the top source country in 2013.
Canada also issued nearly 47,000 visitor visas to Filipinos in
2014, a 56 percent increase since 2006.
The
number of new permanent residents from the Philippines is up from 14,004 in
2004, a near three-fold increase in just one decade. Many of the Filipino
newcomers originally came to Canada under the Live-In Caregiver Program, now
simply the Caregiver Program after modifications made last
November. The government of Canada’s immigration plan for 2015
states that it aims to convert between 26,000 and 30,000 caregivers to
permanent resident status this year.
In
just a few short decades, Canada’s Filipino community has grown to become one of
the country’s largest immigrant demographics. The more than 700,000 people of
Filipino descent in Canada make up one of the country’s larger diaspora
communities, and this number is increasing constantly.
Filipino workers in
Canada are important to both the Canadian and Philippine economies. While
workers in Canada help to fill important labour shortages, families and friends
in the Philippines benefit from remittances sent from Canada.
About
half of Canada’s Filipino population lives in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA),
with Vancouver hosting the second-largest Filipino population in Canada and
Winnipeg also home to a large number of Filipinos.
“Oftentimes,
individuals will first come to Canada as temporary workers, leaving spouses and
children behind. But many Filipinos have also worked hard to bring their
immediate families to Canada. Once permanent residence is achieved, they are
then able to reunite with their families in Canada,” says Attorney David Cohen.
“Canada’s
generous family sponsorship rules allow permanent residents to sponsor not only
children and spouses, but parents and grandparents as well. These include the
popular Parent and
Grandparent Sponsorship Program as well as the new Super Visa
Program, which offers long-term visitor visas to qualified
applicants. The introduction of these family reunification programs has
contributed to the upsurge in new arrivals from the Philippines.
“Within
the broader Filipino community in Canada, we have observed success after
success of smaller communities that have flourished across the country. The
story of Filipino immigration to Canada is a story shared between a proud
people and a welcoming land.”
By Rachel Rosenthal
Wall Street Journal
18 May 2015
The Philippines' economy is shedding its reputation as a laggard and outpacing others in the region - with the fastest growth rate among major economies in East Asia after China.
The country notched growth last year of just over 6%, and the central bank targets growth of 7% to 8% in 2015. That compared with 0.9% in Thailand and 5% in Indonesia in 2014.
For years, the Philippines was viewed as a sluggish economy marred with graft and bureaucratic inefficiencies.
President Benigno Aquino III, who came to power five years ago, has launched an anticorruption drive and has focused on public spending to help lift growth.
The government is planning to spend $13 billion on infrastructure this year, up from $2.8 billion in 2010, and has earmarked $18 billion for 2016. All for that year, the government has approved six major projects with a price tag of just under $8 billion, including a 400-mile rail connecting the capital of Manila to the southern province of Albay.
The Philippines has other advantages. It has a growing working-age population that speaks English, with more than 60% of the population between the age of 15 and 64. There's a large overseas workforce that sends huge amount of money home each month. and unlike many credit-addicted economies in the region, household debt levels are among the lowest in Asia.
It's going to be one of those countries that 's likely going to grow just because they're getting a few things right, and those few things are actually quite important," says HSBC economist Trinh Nguyen referring to the Philippines' low debt levels, improving governance and demographics.
"Relative to anyone, I think they have a good story."
All of this has helped to stoke demand, especially as inflation remains benign because of cheap oil prices. Last year, private consumption generated more than 60% of growth in gross domestic product, driven by a 5.4% bump in consumer spending and a 2.8% rise in employment.
Remittances , which make up about 10% of GDP, are crucial. Low wages at home have pushed many Filipinos to look abroad for work.
Remittances have been growing at about 7% annually since 2009, writes ING. data released last week showed remittances in march rose 11% on year to $1.2 billion, the fastest pace in six years.
There are risks to the Philippines' outlook. Exports contracted in the first quarter because of weak demand and a relatively strong Philippine peso. the currency has gained more than 7% against the euro this year, which lead to slimmer remittances in January and February.
Slowing remittances are the central bank's "biggest concern,"Ms. Nguyen wrote in a research note.
About 15% of the Philippines remittances originated from the eurozone in 2014, according to Barclays.
Another risk is the country's dependence on foreign investment in stocks and bonds, which can quickly yanked out of the country if the U.S. raises interests later this year. that could force the Philippines to follow suit, stunting growth.
Portfolio flows for 2014 were $2.5 billion compared with just $800 million of direct investment which is harder to pull out, according to data from Barclays
4 Filipino 'Asia's Got Talent' acts bring pride to the Philippines
By CNN Philippines Staff
15 May 2015
El Gamma Penumbra, Gerphil Geraldine Flores, Gwyneth Dorado, and the Junior New System brought pride to the country as they performed their finest pieces for the 'Asia's Got Talent' grand finals.
(CNN Philippines) - Filipino talent was abundant in the grand finals of TV talent show Asia's Got Talent as four out of nine acts were from the Philippines.
El Gamma Penumbra, Gerphil Geraldine Flores, Gwyneth Dorado, and the Junior New System brought pride to the country as they perform their finest pieces for the Asia's Got Talent (AGT) grand finals.
Other acts were from Singapore (Dance Thrilogy), Thailand (Talento), Mongolia (Khusugtun), China (Gao Lin snd Liu Xin), and Japan (Triqstar).
The winner will be announced on TVchannel AXN on Thursday (May 14). The prize includes $100,000 and an opportunity to perform at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.
The audience at home will ultimately determine who wins the first season of Asia's Got Talent. Asia's Got talent is hosted by Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez. Grammy-winning musician David Foster, Taiawanese-American Vaness Wu, former Spice Girl Melanie C. and Indonesian rock icon Anggun judged the competition.
Gwyneth Dorado
The talented 10-year old songstress has always been interested in music. She's all-around performer having learned how to lay the keyboard, piano and guitar -- mostly through Youtbe tutorials.
Asia's Got talent is the first competition she joined.
When she is not practicing for her performance, dorado is typically a student who tries hard to excel in school .
For her final performance, Dorado performed a stripped-down version of Sia's hit "Titanium
El Gamma Penumbra
Filipinos first heard of shadow play group El Gamma penumbra when they became a finalist in Pilipinas Got Talent in 2013, but the whole world took notice when they became a finalist in the AGT.
The team members from Tanauan City, Batangas decided to join the AGt for the reason they wanted to experience the international TV stage and show the world what they can do as performers.
That simple dream led them to realize that they now have an opportunity to honor the Philippines and to make the Filipinos proud.
Judge Anggun pressed her Golden Buzzer for El gamma Penumbra, which automatically advanced them to the competition's semi-finals.
Their shadow play final performance featuring the song "Colors of the Wind" was a touching tribute to Mother nature. Judged moved to tears by the performance.
Gerphil Geraldine Flores
The 24 year old powerful soprano singer has always been hooked to the classical music because she feels it transports her to a different world.
When AXN asked Flores as to what she will do with the prize money if she wins, she said she will help her family. Aside from that, she wanted to help aspiring musicians to achieve their dreams.
Flores also joined Pilipinas Got Talent five years ago.
Flores is the second Filipino act to get the coveted Golden Buzzer when judge David Foster gave it to her-- immediately sending her to the semi finals.
She chose to sing "The Impossible Dream" from the musical Man of La Mancha for her final performance.
Junior New System
The funky dance group Junior New System prides themselves as a group who performs hiphop with a twist.
they teamed up on 2009, and since then, they have dominated the dance floor where they perform.
In the semis, junior New System received unanimous nods from the judges to head to the grand finals.
Prior to AGT, these young boys were named the grand winner of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Arts NCAA sayaw Pinoy in 2012 and 2013 in the hip hop category.
The Junior New system showed off their dance moves to a song mash-up while clad in American football uniform.
Zinnia B. dela Pena Philippine Star 12 may 2015 MANILA - The
Philippines is expected to continue to hold up well to external headwinds as it
has enough fiscal space to counter any global risks, Finance Secretary Cesar
Purisima said. Purisima
said the country remains one of the region’s most resilient to external shocks
due to its sound fundamentals that compare well with many regions in the world.
“We have built ample buffers that strongly position the Philippines to weather changes in the external environment. We are less vulnerable to external risks, but we will never be complacent,” Purisima said.
Purisima issued the statement amid fears the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates by June or September, its first rate hike since the financial crisis.
Countries that are still running large deficits are vulnerable to flight of capital if the US Fed raises rates sooner or more aggressively than expected. Some emerging markets are heavily reliant on foreign inflows to fund fiscal or current account deficits.
With higher US interest rates, corporations and banks that borrowed in dollars could face additional pressure if they don’t have matching revenues or assets.
Purisima said the Philippines has sustained current account surpluses that began in 2003 with foreign exchange reserves growing significantly on the back of steady remittance flows and a growing business process outsourcing industry.
Vulnerability to foreign exchange risk is tempered with the country’s heavy bias towards local currency. Interest payments have been locked at low rates with the country’s debt portfolio predominantly in fixed terms.
Apart from these, the ratio of the country’s external debt has dropped to 15 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) or 0.5 times the Philippines’ dollar reserves – one of the lowest levels in Asia.
Purisima noted that only four percent of external debt will be maturing within a year, reflecting an average residual maturity of over 11 years.
An improved export manufacturing sector has narrowed the trade deficit further easing balance of payment pressures.
Filipina elected as borough and town councilor in UK
Agnes Constante
Asian Journal
12 May 2015
A BRITISH-Filipina was elected councilor of the Hertfordshire borough Hertsmere and town Elstree and Borehamwood in the United Kingdom on May 8, marking the highest level of public office any Filipino has ever held in the European state.
Cynthia Barker, originally from San Pablo City, Laguna, ran under the Conservative Party and garnered 1,513 votes in the UK national elections.
“I am really humbled to have been selected by the residents,” she said, according to the Watford Observer. “I never imagined I would be standing here. I am looking forward to the challenges and working with residents.”
Barker first moved to the UK in the mid-1980s to join her family. Her mother arrived first in the 1970s.
“[My mother] will always be my hero. She made the same sacrifice that most OFWs make, sent all her money home while she worked long hours to ensure that the family was well-fed and educated. We now have four generations of family in the UK,” she said in an interview with the magazine The Filipino Expat.
Barker said she has become accustomed to the British lifestyle since relocating and has immersed herself in the country through studying and exploring the city.
“I was quite insular before and I only went out with fellow Filipinos. This gradually changed as I continued my studies here. [I] realized we are all the same, people wanting to protect our country by becoming involved with our local community,” she said.
Still, Barker said she remembers the Filipino values her parents instilled in her and that they helped her in adapting to British society.
The newly-elected councilor is an experienced immigrant advisor who previously served as president of the Rotary Club of Elstree and Borehamwood, as well as other charitable organizations including the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In her local town of Elstree and Borehamwood, she is actively involved in the local church and residents’ association. She is also chair of the town’s museum and is a school governor at St. Nicholas School.
“I have always been curious about everything that happens in our local town,” she said.
Barker said she has always found politics important. She said she has always supported the Conservative Party because of how it ran policy in her local town. Barker became involved with the party’s campaigns even before she became a full member.
The British-Filipina hopes her recent win will inspire more Filipinos to become more active in British politics.
“It is important to be a part of the political machinery – the British are open and they embrace us. But we Filipinos need to make the first step and adapt,” she said.
Gene Alcantara, an immigration adviser in London, called Barker’s victory “a very encouraging wake-up call to the Filipino community in the UK,” as it is indicative of Filipino empowerment and representation in the British community. Alcantara said more political involvement is expected from Filipinos after Barker’s election.
“The vital point about it is that British-Filipinos are participating in the political process,” he said.
Alcantara added that he hopes more Filipinos will also be encouraged to vote not only in the UK, but in the 2016 Philippine national elections.
Prior to Barker’s win, the highest public office ever held by a Filipino in the United Kingdom was a town councilor.
Philippines' Economic Development and the 'Pacquiao Paradox': Shining Individually, Whimpering Collectively
Richard Javad Heydarian
Academic, policy adviser, and author of "Asia's New Battlefield:
US, China, and the Struggle for Western Pacific"
Posted: 5/8/15
For years, I have covered the emergence of the Philippines as the darling of global investors. (In fact, a number of my works on HuffPo have focused on this issue.) After countless exchanges with economists, consultancy agencies, and businessmen in the country and beyond, it is quite clear to me that there is a growing sense of optimism (Keynesian "animal spirits") in and over the long-term economic potentials of the Philippines. Business confidence is building up.
Undoubtedly, the Southeast Asian country is once again on the radar. Certain macroeconomic trends are highly encouraging, particularly in terms of inflation and interest rates, projected annual growth rates, fiscal reforms, debt payments, gross foreign reserves and trade and investment inflows. Recent years have also seen growing regulatory predictability in the government and sustained efforts at closing the country's gnawing infrastructure gap.
Yet, sustained economic development doesn't take place in a vacuum. For the Philippines to become a true "tiger economy" in the coming decades, it has to also experience some changes in its cultural foundations.
A Country of Stars
I vividly recall a poster advertising "Filipino singers" in the elevator of an upscale hotel in Beijing when I was there for an academic visit few years back. Of course, there was nothing surprising about Filipino singers performing in major hotel chains. After all, from the Middle East to East Asia and North America, I constantly came across affable, highly competent, and extremely nice Filipinos, who were at the forefront of the hospitality and tourism business.
But what struck me was how, especially when it comes to singing, being a "Filipino" alone represents a brand. If you are Filipino, you are expected to be a great singer. Countless Filipinos, from Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco to Christian Bautista, have made it big on the international stage. When it comes to singing and dancing, the Filipinos can compete with the best in the world, and often emerge as the indisputable victors. Not to mention, the Philippines' superpower status when it comes to beauty pageants. I have lost count of how many Filipinas (pure- or part-Filipino) have managed to make it to the top 5-10 contestants in every major global beauty contest.
No wonder then that many see the Philippines as the extension of Latin America into the heart of Asia, an island nation filled with the Iberian spirit of musicality and overflowing talent. In certain sports, especially the "Four B's" of basketball, billiards, bowling and boxing, the Philippines has also showcased its ability to go toe-to-toe with the best in the world. From the Philippines' impressive performance in the latest FIBA World Championship, to globally-renowned billiard wizards such as Efren "Bata" Reyes, Francisco Bustamente, Dennis Ocrollo, as well as world bowling champions such as Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno, it is clear that there has been no shortage of world-class talent in the Philippines.
Above all, perhaps, stands Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, who is widely considered as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers of his generation. He is the first and only boxer to have won world championships in eight divisions, and his recent (controversial) loss to Floyd "Money" Mayweather should take nothing away from his impeccable legacy.
Yet, astonishingly the Philippines stands among few counties which have yet to win a single gold medal in the Olympics. Despite having one of the most articulate and talented journalists, lawyers, and artists as well as an army of engineers, doctors, and scientists, the Philippines is yet to break out of its "lower-middle income trap". And despite having among the world's best singing and dancing talents, it is South Korea's"K-pop" phenomenon, which is transforming the entertainment landscape in Asia.
The Philippines is a paradoxical nation, where individual glories often clash with a long history of collective disappointment.
The Anti-Asian Values
Singapore's late-founder, Lee Kuan Yew, was fond of talking about the peculiarities of the so-called "Asian Values" (AV). He always insisted that unlike Western countries, Asians are more predisposed to thinking and behaving in collective-communitarian terms, putting the interest of the family and broader community above their individual impulses.
"I don't think there is an Asian model as such. But Asian societies are unlike Western ones... [an Asian person] is not pristine and separate," Lee Kuan Yew argued in an interview with Foreign Affairs back in 1994. To be fair, the legendary Singaporean leader had a more specific notion of "Asia" in mind, since he was primarily referring to "Confucian countries" of China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Vietnam.
His Malaysian counterpart, Mahathir Mohamad, was even more all-encompassing in conceptualizing of and passionate in his advocacy for the notion of "Asian Values", consistently questioning the universality of liberal democracy, which is primarily found upon the principles of individualism, procedural accountability, and freedom of expression. Instead of embracing democratic capitalism as the ideological end point of history, he envisioned an alternative episteme anchored by principles of deference to authority, limits on individual freedom, and emphasis on hard work and economic productivity.
Obviously, the concept of "Asian Values" has been largely discarded by the experience of countries such as India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, which have embraced liberal democracy, albeit with certain modifications, without necessarily becoming "un-Asian". For its critics, the AV concept has been largely dismissed as a thinly-veiled propaganda for autocratic leadership and, quite ironically, an orientalist perspective, which ignores the almost universal demand for Vox Populi and freedom of expression.
Among Asian countries, the Philippines perhaps stands as the extreme opposite of the so-called "Asian Values". It is a country where individualism and lively public discourse undergirds the body-politic, animating the conduct of day-to-day politics and the broader national political culture. It is a country where the mainstream media constantly prioritizes endless gossip about individual celebrities over deep strategic discussions about national interest and development.
It is a country where actors and entertainers are constantly overwhelmed by public attention, while intellectuals are constantly pushed to the margins of public discourse. It is a country where the interests of an individual and his/her family stand as concrete, tangible priorities, while notions of nation and nationalism are treated as largely abstract points of reference, fondly cited in poems, movies and history books.
Philippine Exceptionalism
To be honest, I am not very convinced with cultural theories on national development, always preferring to focus on the impact of trade and industrial policies, the state-building process, and the structure of opportunity in the global economic system. The concept of "culture" is itself too broad and imprecise, often interchangeable with religion, national psyche, or "institutions", which pertain to regularized practices that have gained value over time, shaping the behavior of societies and individuals.
A century ago, leading sociologist such as Max Weber dismissed the ability of Confucian countries such as China to ever catch up with the West, (mistakenly) arguing that Far Eastern cultures tend to emphasize submission, passivity, and spirituality over the mastery of nature and a hunger for material accumulation, which underpin capitalist modernization. Yet, the past decades have seen the likes of Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and China emerging as history's greatest (capitalist) economic miracles. Confucian Vietnam is obviously in the midst of its own industrialization bonanza.
As Fareed Zakaria cogently points out in his Foreign Affairs interview with the Singaporean leader, "Cultures change. Under the impact of economic growth, technological change and social transformation, no culture has remained the same. Most of the attributes that Lee sees in Eastern cultures were once part of the West. Four hundred years of economic growth changed things."
Few recall how in the past even Germany and Japan used to be dismissed as non-Western countries, predisposed to autocratic rule. The European intellectual giant Jurgen Habermas' post-World War II personal project was precisely about transforming Germany into a more Anglo-Saxon like democratic polity. Today, Germany and Japan stand as among the most stable democratic societies in the world, untouched by the bickering and political paralysis that afflicts old democracies such as the United States and France.
Obviously, culture is malleable and subject to change. But in the case of the Philippines, decades of economic stagnation has gone hand in hand with cultural immutability. While a predatory oligarchy has instituted a "shallow capitalism", and exploited hollow electoral institutions in the country, a persistently individualistic/family-centered culture, in turn, has come at the expense of building a collective, national spirit, which has been instrumental to development of most countries in the region.
Perhaps, instead of just creating global stars, the Philippines should also develop a socio-economic ecosystem, found upon a progressive national culture, which nurtures the talents of and provides opportunities for fruition of the vast potentials of the broader Filipino population -- that is to say, every Juan/Juana de la Cruz. And the Filipino political leadership, media, and intellectual class should play a key role in this transformation. This is their sacred duty.
