...the most improved tourism performance

PHL improves ranking in WEF tourism index

Cai Ordinario
Business Mirror
05 September 2019


"The Philippines was considered the most improved when it comes to Ground and Port Infrastructure in Asia and the Pacific. WEF also regarded the Philippines as the most improved in terms of its overall performance in the region."


BETTER ground and port infrastructure allowed the Philippines to improve its performance in the 2019 edition of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index.

Local tourists enjoy the clean waters in Siargao, one of the country’s top tourist attractions. (BUSINESSMIRROR FILE PHOTO) 

In the 2019 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report (TTCR), WEF said the Philippines now ranks 75th out of 140 countries with a score of 3.8 in the index. The overall scores range from 1 to 7, with 1 being the lowest and 7 being the highest.

The Philippines was considered the most improved when it comes to Ground and Port Infrastructure in Asia and the Pacific. WEF also regarded the Philippines as the most improved in terms of its overall performance in the region.

“The Philippines had the fastest rate of improvement, moving up four places to rank 75th globally. The country showed impressive improvement on overall infrastructure [90th to 80th] and ICT [information and communications technology] readiness [86th to 82nd], but still faces challenges when it comes to safety and security [135th],” the report read.

The TTCI is measured based on a country’s performance in enabling environment; travel and tourism policy and enabling conditions; infrastructure; and natural and cultural resources.

The Philippines ranked the highest in terms of natural and cultural resources at 46th with a score of 2.8, followed by travel and tourism policy and enabling conditions, 53rd with a score of 4.6.

The country ranked 80th in infrastructure with a score of 3.2 and ranked 93rd in enabling environment with a score of 4.4.

WEF said the Philippines posted its highest ranking for Price Competitiveness at 24th overall, followed by natural resources at 36th and human resources and labor market, 37th out of 140 countries.

The report stated that the Philippines ranked the lowest in terms of safety and security at 135th; followed by health and hygiene, 94th; and ground and port infrastructure.

“With travel barriers and travel costs declining, many countries have been significantly increasing their competitive position in global tourism,” said WEF Head of Mobility Christoph Wolff.

“Countries can leverage this opportunity to generate economic and development returns, but they must address gaps in infrastructure and environmental protection to make sure these returns can be achieved over the long term,” Wolff added. WEF said the travel and tourism sector remains resilient in the face of challenges. The sector recorded around 1.4 billion global tourist arrivals in 2018, beating expectations.

However, WEF warned that cheaper travel costs and fewer tourist barriers are placing the infrastructure of travel hot spots under pressure to meet demand.

The report also said emerging travel markets may already start to feel over-tourism pressures as their institutions keep up with rising demand.

“The top 25 percent of countries account for over two-thirds of arrivals. This combination of concentration of tourist arrivals and rapid travel growth is putting a strain on travel hot spots, despite relatively high infrastructure and travel services scores,” WEF said.

In this year’s index, Spain held the top spot followed by France, Germany, and Japan, with the United States replacing the United Kingdom in the top 5.

Among the top 10 countries, the UK was the only country to fall in the rankings. It now sits under the increasingly competitive United States at spot 6, due to a decline in online searches for its natural and cultural resources, and a weaker business environment.

...the role of NGO in Philippine infrastructure development

How NGOs are Improving Infrastructure in the Philippines



Sean Galli
Borgen Magazine
06 September 2019

SEATTLE, Washington — The Southeast Asian nation of the Philippines, an archipelago of approximately 108 million people, has recently become quite economically viable. From 2017 to 2018, its global competitiveness score jumped from rank 68 to 56 out of 140 nations indexed by the World Economic Forum. However, the country’s infrastructure lacks the vitality of its overall economy, ranking at 92 out of 140 in the same report.

Improvements in infrastructure would lift the Philippines’ average global competitiveness score. With the U.S. Trade Representative reporting $29.6 billion in 2017 U.S.-Philippines trade, there are also lucrative American opportunities if infrastructure capable of supporting businesses were to grow. Fortunately, infrastructure in the Philippines is a focus of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. Unfortunately, financial difficulties accompany this initiative, which is why more NGOs are shifting their focus to infrastructure aid for long-term growth.

Build, Build, Build

President Duterte plans to make his mark on Filipino history with his “Build, Build, Build” campaign, an aggressive infrastructure development plan that includes 75 projects and costs $180 billion. It is part of a larger platform of economic development that President Duterte hopes will reduce poverty to 17 percent by 2022.

The effort mobilized a large part of the Filipino economy, and even prominent Filipino billionaires are pitching in. Forbes described a 7 percent GDP growth in 2017. Ramon Ang, one of the aforementioned tycoons and the largest shareholder of the San Miguel Corporation, offered to build the $13.8 billion Manila Bay Airport in a proposal approved by the government in late 2018.

Minor Development Issues

Despite the economic reinvigoration, billionaires cannot fund everything, and massive government investments spawn fiscal difficulties. Specifically, the Philippines suffers from a growing deficit, growing inflation and difficulty starting and operating businesses. The Asian Development Bank noted that the Philippines’ deficit jumped from 0.7 percent of GDP in 2017 to 2.4 percent in 2018. Growth in spending on infrastructure in the Philippines also contributed to inflation, which rose to 5.2 percent in 2018. However, it is expected to drop down to 3.5 percent by 2020.

All of this affects business development, which has suffered amid rising costs. Out of 190 nations, the World Bank ranked the Philippines at 124 on its 2018 Ease of Doing Business score. It is particularly difficult to start a business in the Philippines because of building permits, registering property and rising taxes. In the effort to enhance business development with infrastructure, progress has actually stalled. Fortunately, there are NGOs working to amend the problem at the local and national level.

The Local Road

The Asia Foundation is one NGO currently improving infrastructure in the Philippines outside of the major cities. Established in 1954, its initial program, Books for Asia, ensured that Filipino college students received textbook donations. The organization has concentrated on education throughout Asia for most of its history. However, today, it is concerning itself with creating more democratic societies by means of fair elections and infrastructure.

The Asia Foundation with the Australian Embassy created Coalitions for Change (CfC) in 2012. Is the centerpiece of the NGO’s Philippines program. It addresses road connectivity issues under the advice of local businesses and provincial governments to allow ease of access and increased economic activity. By February 2018, it had partnered with 15 provinces and used $1.9 billion for 298 new roads.

Provincial governments also saved money on planning new roads after CfC orchestrated a memorandum signing between the Philippines’ national mapping service and the interior ministry. According to a CfC report, this memorandum opened opportunities for provincial governments to use GPS technology to construct maps. Without the cost of 6,000 Philippine Pesos (roughly $117) per map sheet for an accurate 11,000 sheet map, local governments have more economic freedom when it comes to infrastructure in the Philippines.

The National Stage

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) uses a nationally based financing strategy to help its home country of the Philippines. Starting in 1966, it worked to implement its agenda of infrastructure and human development throughout the Philippines. ADB has completed 682 lending and assistance projects worth a total of $19.3 billion to date. Similar to The Asia Foundation, transportation comprises a significant chunk of their assistance. They devoted $2.05 billion and 79 projects to transportation alone.

Transportation infrastructure is a priority going forward as well. The ADB’s May 2019 announcement of a $2.75 billion loan for the Malolos-Clark Railway Line that will connect Clark in the Central Luzon region to Manila in order to reduce immense congestion on the roads into the capital. This type of assistance can drop rapid government spending on large projects. The ADB already predicts a 0.1 percent drop in the deficit in 2019 and 2020.

Despite the financing issues, the future of infrastructure in the Philippines looks bright. The work of The Asia Foundation and the ADB promises more sustainable solutions for infrastructure development. Cost-effective methods ensure that the Philippines does not make business more difficult while it simultaneously attempts to improve it. With more fiscally wise future aid, the Philippines’ roads and railways can propel more Filipinos to success.

...the neighbors

In Bid for Friendship Renewal, China Offers Philippines More Development Money

Ralph Jennings| Voice of America

06 September 2019

TAIPEI, TAIWAN - China has pledged to help fund a $169 billion infrastructure renewal drive in the Philippines, an apparent bid for friendship as Filipinos question whether officials in Beijing are trying to squelch their maritime sovereignty claims.

FILE - Construction workers stand on scaffolding around metal rods of a new pillar as they add more floors to a building project in suburban Paranaque city, south of Manila, Philippines, Jan. 26, 2017.

Over the past year, Chinese boats have surrounded a Philippine-held islet in a disputed tract of the South China Sea. A collision between vessels from the two countries sank a Philippine boat in June. Filipinos want China to honor a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague against the legal basis for its sovereignty claims to the sea, but Chinese officials reject the verdict.

Too much distaste for China could pivot the Philippines closer to the United States, a staunch military supporter, and to Japan, a steady development aid donor. China is at odds with both Tokyo and Washington politically.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who made peace with China in 2016 by setting aside the maritime dispute, met last week with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Li vowed to “step up cooperation” on the five-year Philippine infrastructure drive, Duterte’s website said.

“Perhaps it’s a way to reassure the government and at the same time also the public that it remains committed to the support in terms of the infrastructure projects in the Philippines,” said Maria Ela Atienza, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

“At the same time, maybe they thought it’s a way to placate the rising dissatisfaction of the public and even some sectors in government about the Chinese movements in the EEZ [maritime exclusive economic zone] of the Philippines,” she said.

Funding targets

During his meeting in Beijing with Duterte, Xi said it was “necessary” to pair the Philippine infrastructure drive with China’s own Belt and Road initiative, the Chinese official Xinhua News Agency reported.

FILE - China's President Xi Jinping, left, shakes hands with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte during the opening ceremony of the 2019 Basketball World Cup in Beijing, China, Aug. 30, 2019

The Belt and Road initiative is a 6-year-old, $1 trillion campaign by Beijing to open trade routes around Eurasia by helping other countries build ports, roads and other infrastructure.

Xi called at the meeting for “major” cooperative projects in infrastructure construction, industrial parks, energy and telecommunications, Xinhua said.

“First and foremost, the Chinese are trying to send a message that it’s not just words, but actually we’re going to step up to the plate and pledge some money,” said Stephen Nagy, senior associate politics and international studies professor at International Christian University in Tokyo.

China stepped up trade and development support for much of Southeast Asia after losing in the International Court of Arbitration. In 2016 Xi pledged $24 billion in aid and loans for the Philippines.

About $4.7 billion of that pledge had reached the Philippines as of February, according to domestic media reports. Ordinary Filipinos have complained that China is giving too little so far.
Duterte kicked off his infrastructure renewal, a program called "Build, Build, Build," to help prepare the country for more industry. About one-in-five Filipinos live in poverty today, due largely to lack of jobs.

South China Sea

FILE - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, meet at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, Aug. 29, 2019

China and the Philippines dispute sovereignty over parts of the 3.5 million-square-kilometer body, valued for fisheries and fossil fuel reserves. Three other Southeast Asian countries and Taiwan claim all or parts of the same sea, but China calls about 90% of the waterway its own.

About a decade ago, China began taking a military and technological lead by reclaiming land to expand small islets and place military equipment on some of them.

Duterte’s predecessor filed a lawsuit in the International Court of Arbitration in 2013.
Xi said last week that China and the Philippines should set aside disputes, according to the Xinhua report.

Poor Sino-Philippine relations would raise the prominence of U.S. and Japanese help for the Southeast Asian country, analysts believe.

Duterte initially shunned the United States to build ties with China, but a survey by the Manila-based research organization Social Weather Stations released in July found that 51% of Filipinos feel “little trust” in China while 81% had “much trust” in the United States.

Washington irks China by passing Navy ships into the disputed sea as a statement it’s open for international use. Xi told Duterte China would “continue to firmly support the Philippines' efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and resist external interference,” Xinhua said.
China must boost aid to “change the security equation,” Nagy said.

Japan, which had given the Philippines a cumulative $24.4 billion in development support through 2017, also enjoys a favorable image among Filipinos. Japan is courting much of Southeast Asia through development aid to shore up its own influence in the region as China grows economically.

“Any funder who would like to help the Philippines is always welcome, however at the moment, just to give you an update, the biggest share of our ‘Build, Build, Build’ remains with Japan,” said Jonathan Ravelas, chief market strategist with BDO Unibank.

...the Pinoy English teacher in Cambodian Senate

Pinoy teaches English to Cambodian Senate staff 

Pia Lee-Brago

Philippine Star 

04 September 2019

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino educator trained another batch of staff members of the Cambodian Senate in using the English language.

Teodoro Ariel Publico conducted an English language training program for more than 40 staff members of the Secretariat-General of the Cambodian Senate at the Pannsãstra University of Cambodia’s Institute of Foreign Languages.

Teodoro Ariel Publico conducted an English language training program for more than 40 staff members of the Secretariat-General of the Cambodian Senate at the Pannsãstra University of Cambodia’s Institute of Foreign Languages.

dfa.gov.ph

The three-month training was organized by the Philippine embassy in Phnom Penh upon request of the Cambodian Senate.

Embassy chargé d’affaires Myca Fischer said the Philippine government has provided various capacity-building programs to Cambodians.

“The English language training is a manifestation of our continuing commitment to an ASEAN community that is socially cohesive and people-oriented,” Fischer said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

English is the working language of the ASEAN.

The embassy tapped the services of Publico, who committed to deliver quality English education for professionals and promote the tatak gurong Pinoy (mark of a world-class Filipino teacher).
Publico, who hails from Cavite, arrived in Phnom Penh in 2014.

This is the third English language class arranged by the embassy for the Secretariat-General.

The initial three-month course was held in May 2015 and benefited 18 participants.

The second three-month module was offered in January 2016 to 20 Senate staffers.

As of June this year, there are 1,023 education professionals among the 6,773 Filipinos in Cambodia registered with the embassy.

The Filipino teachers are working in universities, international schools, language training centers and kindergartens.

Some of them teach music, physical education, mathematics, science and English.

Fischer said the embassy has received feedback from students and their parents that they appreciate the nurturing and hardworking nature of Filipino teachers in Cambodia.

...the 2020 Olympic qualiier

Filipino pole vaulter Obiena qualifies for Tokyo Olympics



Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Business World

04 September 2019

THE Philippines got its first qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena made the cut in a qualifying tournament in Chiara, Italy, on Wednesday (Manila time).

Clearing a height of 5.81 meters, Mr. Obiena, 23, topped the 5.80 qualifying standard for men’s pole vault to earn a spot in next year’s global sporting spectacle.

The feat also saw Mr. Obiena besting his previous personal best of 5.76-meter clearance set earlier this year in the Summer Universiade also in Italy.

The good news was shared by Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) President Philip Ella Juico.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics happens from July 24 to Aug. 20.

...the Filipino food scene in the US

Filipino Food Has a Lot to Gain As It Builds Traction in the United States

The young chefs behind the evolving new wave of Filipino food are more than ready to share their beloved cuisine with a bigger audience. 


Morena Duwe
vice.com
04 September 2019



Lumpia are the glimmering golden pillars of Filipino cuisine.

Usually containing minced meat and vegetables, these deep-fried rolls may also contain raisins, jackfruit, or bananas. As crisp as autumn leaves, lumpia are famously made in large quantities and best enjoyed with loved ones. Like their delicious cousin, the egg roll, they originated in China, and were wholeheartedly adopted and then reinvented in the Philippines along with other neighboring island nations. They are a gateway into an underrepresented cuisine—a gustatory delight for palates of all ethnicities. But finally, after decades of being unacknowledged by America’s foodie culture, non-Filipinos are beginning to explore what lies beyond the lumpia when it comes to Filipino cuisine.

According to Diana Ting Liu Wu’s Asian Pacific Americans in the Workplace, a collection of case studies that examines the position of Asian Pacific Americans in the U.S. workforce, there are more ethnic Filipinos in Los Angeles "than in any other city except Manila.” Since the book’s publication in 1997, LA’s Filipinx diaspora has significantly increased, so it’s strange that in a county with the largest population of Filipino-Americans, their food is not fully ingrained into the city’s culinary culture. As the late Filipino writer, teacher, cultural historian, and food critic Doreen Fernandez was quoted as saying in a recent New York Times profile, “One did not take bosses, foreigners, dates or VIPs to have Filipino food at a restaurant; it wasn’t considered ‘dignified enough.”’ 

However, that perception has finally changed.

Lumpia at Barkada. Photo by Miles Najera

On the corner of a Hollywood strip mall on Vine Street, adjacent to a Cuban supper club that bumps salsa music at 120 decibels, sits Barkada—a hip, nascent Filipino tapas restaurant and lounge that offers live music, moody lighting, and community fundraisers. Run by longtime friends Paul Montoya, Jay Baluyot, and French-trained chef Josh Robles, Barkada was opened in 2017. Their friendship yielded the restaurant’s name, which is Tagalog for your clique, crew, gang, tribe, or whatever you call your chosen family, and the food is an amalgamation of traditional family recipes and chef Robles’ innovative Asian-inspired creations. When asked who owns the joint, they simply reply: “It’s a family business.” 

“It all started because we wanted to represent Filipino food in a different way,” says Montoya, over a plate of his Lola’s (Tagalog for grandmother) famed calamansi chicken wings. “Growing up in LA, people used to joke around with us, saying we eat dogs and cats. That was a common thing I’d hear back in the day—that’s what people thought about Filipino food.”

Charles Olalia’s popular Ma’am Sir in Silver Lake—who Montoya and Baluyot fondly consider to be part of their ‘barkada’—is among the new wave of restaurants to spark this gustatory renaissance. After attending culinary school in Manila, Olalia moved stateside, ultimately landing in Los Angeles. He first opened Rice Bar, a successful counter restaurant in DTLA that served Filipino-inspired grain bowls, which built the foundation for him to expand with Ma’am Sir. Serving reimagined classics like sizzling pork sisig and banana bibingka—typically a baked rice cake that is sometimes topped with salted duck egg and especially popular during Christmas—Ma’am Sir has been lauded by the media, including a glittering write-up in the Los Angeles Times earlier this year.

Tucked away in strip malls and Filipino neighborhoods across the city, Filipino restaurants in LA have often been overlooked by non-Filipinos, and usually contain mostly, if not all, Filipinx patrons. Almost anyone who passes a sushi or pho restaurant knows exactly what is served. However, the Filipino food vernacular is commonly relegated to those who grew up eating it (and those with Filipinx relatives or close friends). Turo turo joints—Tagalog for “point point,” referring to the way in which the food is ordered—are popular among the diaspora, but unbeknownst to most non-Filipinx Angelenos. In group dining scenarios when restaurant suggestions are made, you will likely hear mentions of Thai, ramen, Korean barbecue, pho, sushi, and Indian joints—Asian cuisines recognized the world over. Rarely will Filipino food be included in the conversation.

The team at Barkada. Photo by Miles Najera

Food has long been a gateway to cultural understanding. Anthony Bourdain brought the people and cuisines of tension-filled regions like Israel and Congo directly into our living rooms, examining conflict through the lens of food. Conflict Kitchen in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania rotates its menu depending on the people or country with which the United States is in conflict, encouraging patrons to reshape their understanding of the culture, politics, and issues of the focus region. Based on the impact that Bourdain and establishments like Conflict Kitchen have made, using food to incite dialogue and connection works, and now more than ever, people of all ethnic backgrounds are open-minded to trying foreign foods like the Filipino delicacy balut (fetal duck egg—which Bourdain has eaten, and enjoyed, on-camera multiple times).

But while most signs point to positive in regards to the popularization of Filipino food, is there a risk of losing its authenticity? 

The ubiquity of Japanese and Chinese foods are good representations of the proliferation of Asian cuisine in the U.S. While sushi and potstickers have become household names, these food traditions have been diluted and modified to better suit Western palates and aesthetics. The ever-popular inside-out California roll, for example—placing the nori seaweed on the inside and the rice on the outside to make the roll appear more appetizing—was created in North America. And as many might already know, the fortune cookie is not a tradition in China.

At Barkada, as well as several other modern Filipino restaurants like Ma’am Sir, the goal is to represent Filipino food in a new and playful way. By taking traditional dishes like chicken adobo and elevating the ingredients—Barkada subs chicken for beef short ribs—the traditional flavors are still the foundation, just reinvented (much like pancit, which was created after China introduced noodles to the Philippines). Instead of offering large portions of these dishes, typical of most Filipino restaurants, non-Filipinos who are new to the flavors and words of Filipino food are able to try small portions without committing to one large dish, creating a perfect entry point for those unfamiliar with the cuisine. But, like Japanese and Chinese food, a bit of the tradition gets lost in the innovation.

The calamansi chicken wings at Barkada. Photo by Miles Najera

“A lot of Filipinos love seeing these elevated versions of classic recipes but some of the purists don't get it,” Baluyot explains while pointing to a dish of short rib kare-kare, a savory peanut-based stew traditionally cooked with oxtail. “That's what always happens with generation gaps, though, no matter the culture. Whenever a new generation changes something that hasn’t changed for a long time, the older generation doesn’t like it.”

Because Filipino food is still in its nascency in America, most Filipinx restaurateurs including, Montoya and Baluyot, believe the popularization of their beloved cuisine doesn’t risk losing anything. In fact, they believe it has more to gain than to lose. Nicole Ponseca, author of I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook and the founder of Maharlika and Jeepney restaurants in New York City echoes their sentiment about this proliferation. Though her career began in advertising, she discovered her true calling after noticing New York City’s lack of authentic Filipino food and dedicated her life to changing that.

“From my days of advertising, I knew that Filipinos had no representation in media,” Ponseca shares. “I had no intention of being a restaurant person, I was just trying to find the easiest way to make an impact. Restaurants are by no means easy, but food was the easiest way I could translate culture and dimensionalize people. I've been at this for 20 years and when I started there was very little representation for Filipinos—not that I'm the first Filipino restaurant—but I think that we were the first to do it in a way that was political and offered a social commentary on representation. We knew that if we did it well, it would keep the door open for other Filipino restaurants, chefs, and entrepreneurs.”

Where Barkada seeks to introduce Filipino cuisine through the modernization of old family recipes, Ponseca’s goal is to serve purely traditional dishes, such as the aforementioned balut, and dinuguan, a rich, pork stew simmered in pig’s blood, garlic, chili, and vinegar. While offering a contemporary setting—most cafeteria-style Filipino restaurants are devoid of trendy ambiance—Ponseca aids in the purging of shame and exoticism around foreign foods. 

Photo by Marts Romero

“When you stop talking about exoticism, that's when we become part of the lexicon,” she explains. “This is what we eat and we’re not ashamed or on display. It's not a raised eyebrow. It’s not being embarrassed when you open your Tupperware of food at school. When our story becomes normalized, we gain interest and respect and appreciation.”

Many modern Filipino restaurants, including Barkada, Jeepney, and Maharlika, have introduced their diverse crowds of diners to kamayan (Tagalog for “by hand”) feasts, a style of Filipino cuisine where banana leaves are splayed on a table and piled with seafood, meat, rice and vegetables, eaten sans silverware. This was a standard way of eating in the Philippines before Spanish conquistadors colonized the archipelago in 1565 and introduced cutlery.

“I did a lot of fucking research here; it wasn’t just me opening up a restaurant,” Ponseca declares. “I knew that going into it I would be deconstructing colonialism. It’s not just a restaurant, it’s about how I can push Filipino food forward so there’s no sense of euphemisms, there's no dumbing things down.”

Now, Filipino food is having its long-awaited moment. In an era where adventurous eating is cool, helped in part by Anthony Bourdain, the door for other underrepresented cuisines to find their limelight in American food culture is wide open. Whether it be through innovation, fusion, or standing by tradition, Filipino food has earned a seat at the table.

Photo by Marts Romero

“Filipino food is finally getting acknowledged,” Montoya shares. “It has a few more years to becoming a household name, like other Asian cuisines, but I’m excited to see where it goes next. Even if it’s the fusion places that are putting it on the map right now, it’s a gateway to the traditional spots that have always existed. And that's a good thing.”