...the Nuclear Science Director

International nuclear science group hails Filipina scientist as new director

By Jan Carlo Anolin

21 February 2019

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has recently appointed a Filipina scientist to be one of its new directors in Vienna, Austria, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

Dr. Jane Gerardo-Abaya officially assumed her new position on January 1, 2019 as IAEA’s Department of Technical Cooperation Asia and the Pacific Division Director.

Philippines Ambassador to Austria Maria Cleofe R. Natividad (second from the left) congratulates new IAEA Division Director Dr. Jane Gerardo-Abaya (second from the right). They are joined by Consul General Deena Joy Amatong (far left) and Vice Consul Allen Carillo (far right). (Vienna PM photo / DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS / MANILA BULLETIN)

Dr. Abaya is an Austria-based scientist who has worked for various capacities of IAEA since 1994.

The University of the Philippines alumna contributed her works on isotope hydrology and water and geothermal energy resources to the state university’s National Institute of Geological Sciences.

Dr. Abaya finished her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Geology in 1981 and 1988, respectively.

She completed her doctorate in Applied Geology and Geothermal in 2004 at the Universitat Fur Bodenklultur in Vienna, according to DOST’s profile.

Dr. Abaya became a recipient of “Balik Scientist Award” and had a research grant from the Department of Science and Technology in 2008.

In 2017, she received a “Superior Achievement Award” from IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano while former IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei granted her a “Distinguished Service Award” in 2008.

The new IAEA Director paid a courtesy call with Ambassador to Austria Maria Cleofe R. Natividad in the Philippine Permanent Mission in Vienna’s chancery last January 18.

According to DFA, Natividad said Dr. Abaya’s appointment is a “remarkable achievement in the Philippines’ efforts towards increasing women’s representation at the higher echelons of the IAEA.”

Natividad is confident that Dr. Abaya will fulfill her new role as director given her “exemplary qualifications and extensive experience.”

IAEA is the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in nuclear science, according to its official website.

The agency works for the safe, secure, and peaceful uses of nuclear science and contributes it to international peace and security and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

...the Asia-Pacific top univeristies

UP, DLSU among top universities in Asia Pacific 

CNN Philippines| 21February 2019

Metro Manila —  Two Philippine universities were included among the top educational institutions in the Asia-Pacific region, according to London-based data provider Times Higher Education (THE).

Results published on Wednesday showed that the University of the Philippines (UP) and the De La Salle University (DLSU) were in the top 300 schools of the region.

UP was at 101st-110th bracket, an improvement from its 2018 ranking of 151-160.

DLSU joined the list at the 201st-250th bracket. The Taft-based institution was unranked last year.

China's Tsinghua University rose to the top spot from its second place in 2018. It displaced the National University of Singapore which dropped to No. 2.

The University of Melbourne came in third.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the University of Hong Kong were in fourth and fifth spots.

Japan listed the most number of schools in the rankings, with 103 of its universities featured.

The Asia-Pacific University Rankings analyzed universities across East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. The featured schools represented 13 countries.

UP and DLSU were also the only Philippine universities in the Emerging Economies for 2019 of the same data provider.

...the Regional leader in Antitrust laws

Philippines Steps Up Regional Edge In Antitrust Law Enforcement

By Marvie Chorawan-Basilan

Feb 21, 2019 

A view of nickel ore stockpiles at a port in Sta Cruz Zambales in northern Philippines February 8, 2017. (Photo: REUTERS/Erik De Castro/File Photo)

The Philippines is gradually transforming into a regional leader in the enforcement of antitrust laws as the Southeast Asian country jumped to 5^th place in 2018's Asia-Pacific policy records.

According to local newspaper The Philippine Star, competition news and analysis firm Policy and Regulatory Report (PaRR) revealed in its 2019 "Global Trends Monitor" report that the Philippines stepped up three places higher in the top 10 Asia-Pacific list of economies that allow for fair competition in trade and business.

PaRR's report noted that the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) enhanced its authority, thus strengthening the monitoring activities of markets or trade practices that could be hampering growth in some business sectors in the country.

"The Philippine Competition Commission is strengthening its enforcement framework this year with the introduction of a leniency program and the addition of rules on forbearance and dawn raids to its arsenal of investigative tools," part of the report stated.

Last year, the Philippine antitrust agency recorded a total of 40 acquisition transactions and mergers, accounting for PHP438 billion. Of the M&A transactions recorded, 33 were given the approval to proceed with the projects.

In April, the agency released a draft of guidelines that seek to benefit joint ventures. The merger notification threshold for Philippine exchange was also raised to PHP5 billion.

This year, the PCC is looking to focus on chain logistics, petroleum refining, sugar and pesticides manufacturing, corn milling and trading, and other trading programs that seek to enhance fair exchange in the Philippines, the report added.

Another country that made a significant rise in the ranks is Indonesia. The report found that Indonesia has climbed to 6^th place, one level higher from its 7^th spot record in 2017. The top three economies in antitrust enforcement practices are China, Australia, and South Korea respectively.

AEC News Today reported that Indonesia appointed new competition commissioners as part of its efforts in enforcing antitrust policies. This move also echoed the ASEAN member nations' October move of establishing the Asean Competition Enforcers Network - a program that encourages Asean states to cooperate on competition cases.

Other Asian countries also joined the fight against unfair trade standards as Myanmar eased its foreign investment rules last year and Singapore approved amendments to its competition law.

For its part in the global reinvention of antitrust policies, Vietnam fined companies that engaged in anticompetitive conduct, including Grab. In addition, Thailand finally granted conditional clearance to Glow Energy to imply its willingness in the Asia-Pacific region's goals of providing the trade industry with justifiable practices that will benefit both giants, small, and medium-sized operations.

...the NASA awardee

Philippine Team wins NASA Award



Roy Mabasa
Manila Bulletin
21 February 2019


The team iNon from the Philippines on Thursday received an award from the United States government for capturing the Best Galactic Impact category in the 2018 NASA Space Apps Challenge beating out 1,395 other teams from around the world.

Teams iNON and Space Force will represent the country in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Apps Global Challenge
(Photo courtesy of Animo Labs via Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN)

US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim awarded the certificate of recognition to iNON team members Revbrain Martin, Marie Jeddah Legaspi, Julius Czar Torreda, and Matthew Concubierta during the ceremony at the US Embassy. Leandro de Guzman, the fifth member of the team, was unable to attend the ceremony.

The Filipino innovators ISDApp, from the Filipino word "ísda" (meaning fish) to communicate crucial information about real-time weather and sea conditions to fisherfolks.

The app enables local government officials to provide potentially life-saving information to fisherfolk's analog cellphones using NASA globe observer data.

"I am deeply impressed by team iNON's fantastic achievement in defeating teams from around the world to win first place in the Galactic Impact category of the NASA Space Apps Challenge . They can inspire other Filipino youth to develop innovative solutions to problems in their own communities, " Kim said at the event.

ISDApp was conceived by the Team iNON at the US Embassy-sponsored NASA Space Apps Challenge in October 2018.

US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission LAw, who served on the panel of judges, said Team iNON's approach to getting important information out to fisherfolks without internet connectivity struck him as "clever and compassionate.

"I am pleased they received global recognition," Law said.

For Team  iNON member Legaspi, he explained that ISDApp is a "simple solution with an important purpose" which helped the technology swim to success. "This is proof that even technology needs a heart."

His team mate Martin said: "We saw the problem, and figured we could do something to help the lives of coastal communities around the world."

...the second fastest emerging market

Oxford Economics: PH will be 2nd fastest growing emerging market in 2019-2028

Ben O. de Vera

Inquirer.net

20 February 2019

MANILA, Philippines — With an expanding labor force, the Philippines will be eclipsed only by India among emerging markets (EMs) expected to post the fastest economic growth in the next 10 years.

In a February 15 report, UK-based Oxford Economics projected the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by an average of 5.3 percent between 2019 and 2028, only outpaced by India’s 6.5 percent.

For 2019, Oxford Economics had said its expects the Philippines’ GDP growth at 6.1 percent, below the government’s 7-8 percent target range.

China and Indonesia’s economies were both seen expanding by 5.1 percent during the 10-year period; Malaysia, 3.8 percent; Turkey, 3 percent; Thailand, 2.9 percent; Chile, 2.6 percent; Poland, 2.5 percent; and South Africa, 2.3 percent.

The labor force in the Philippines was projected to increase by an average of 2.3 percent during the next 10 years, the fastest among the 10 emerging markets.

The labor force growth figure was computed by Oxford Economics as the number of people in the labor force multiplied to the average number of hours worked.

Total factor productivity growth was seen at 1 percent, while capital deepening or the contribution of capital accumulation to labor productivity growth was projected to rise by 1.6 percent from 2019 and 2028.

In a report titled “Sustained growth in EMs calls for thrift and innovation,” Oxford Economics said that while “countries with higher gross domestic saving (as a share of GDP) tend to have higher trend growth… the Philippines seems to be a major outlier, but its domestic savings are supplemented heavily by remittances.” /kga

...the Pinoy nurse in Irelands Got Talent

Filipino nurse gets standing ovation in Ireland’s Got Talent

Noreen Jazul

Manila Bulletin

19 February 2019

A Filipino nurse in Dublin made headlines after his rousing rendition of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” in Ireland’s Got Talent.

(YouTube / MANILA BULLETIN)

Rodelle Borja received a standing ovation from all four judges — Louis Walsh, Michelle Visage, Denise van Outen, and Jason Byrne.

Borja said he joined the competition to inspire others, especially those who stutter like him.

The 29-year-old nurse also shared his struggles growing up with a speech disorder and how music helped him get through it.

“I am not really…I’m not that confident in expressing myself by talking,” he said.

“I express myself more, and I express myself better by singing,” Borja added.

As of writing, Borja’s audition video on Facebook has been viewed over 300,000 times.