...the Miss Tourism International 2019

Filipina wins Miss Tourism International 2019 pageant in KL


Bernama/New Straits Times
09 November 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: Cyrille Payumo of the Philippines was crowned Miss Tourism International 2019/2020, beating 39 other contestants at the pageant finals held here, on Friday night.

Charming her way into the judges’ hearts, the 22-year-old will now be realising her dream of pursuing her studies in Mass Communications, as the pageant crown comes with a prize of a scholarship for a course of her choice at any LimKokWing University of Creative Technology, worldwide.

The four-year tertiary study sponsorship for Miss Tourism International 2019/2020 winners and runners-ups was formalised through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) inked between the university and Miss Tourism International at the university’s main campus on Nov 1.

Overjoyed Payumo later said: “It is a good stepping stone for me to win, as I would love to pursue my higher studies in Mass Communications and to be able to interact and to touch people’s hearts by being a tourism advocate not only to my country, but to the world.”

She added that she is a language enthusiast, and singled out Malaysia as the best place to learn new languages such as Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and Tamil.

This year’s competition – the 22nd edition of the pageant – was themed “Embracing Visit Truly Asia Malaysia 2020” aimed at promoting Visit Malaysia Year 2020.

The pageant was first held in Sarawak in 1994.

Meanwhile, 23-year-old Malaysian contestant, Cheryl Loo Wen Nee, managed to make it into the top 10. She won three out of 16 subsidiary titles – Miss Gintell Wellness, Miss Glamorous Carlo Rino and Miss Glorious Beautiful. – BERNAMA

...the UAE Architect of the Year nominee

Filipina nominated "Architect of the Year" in UAE

Manila Bulletin
08 November 2019

Filipina Christine Espinosa-Erlanda, a Dubai-based architect, was nominated for the “Architect of the Year” award in the 12th annual Middle East Architect Award.

Architect Christine Espinosa-Erlanda (Photo via MPIO / MANILA BULLETIN)

Erlanda was also nominated for the Big 5 Women in Construction Award.

In an interview with the Kabayan Weekly, a Filipino newspaper based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Erlanda shared how she was able to achieve her dreams.

“I am fortunate that my humble beginnings in Tondo, once I was a little girl sketching my dreams on the wall, I have culminated my creative instincts, have met mentors along my way, flew from Manila to Dubai and now I am part of building the future of the Middle East, designing and working on noteworthy award-winning projects, master plans, heritage, residential, commercial, hospitality, and heritage projects, turning visions into reality.”

Erlanda graduated from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) with a degree in Bachelor of Science Major in Architecture.

She spent her internship at the Manila City Planning and Development Office.

Erlanda is now an associate architect in UAE for 11 years, working for Godwin Austen Johnson.

Erlanda explained how she survived to work in a foreign country despite all the challenges that she had encountered.

“I am a Filipino. I smile a lot. Being Filipino helped me cope with the challenges of working abroad. We Filipinos are like water; versatile and can adjust to any shapes or forms and like water, they are necessary to life. Filipinos have the hunger for development and better future. We are not bounded by our race, gender nor financial situation. We Filipinos need to lift each other up, raise our flag and show the rest of the world our ingenuity, resilience and skills, all of those while radiating with the sincerest smiles,” she explained.

One of her missions as an architect was to empower women and promote gender equality: “As an architect my mission is to design and build something valuable that will last even after my own lifetime and in doing so elevate the position of women in what is, still, a male-dominated arena. Being part of the industry that creates and shapes the present and future cities keeps me close to that mission.”

The 12th annual Middle East Architect Award recognizes the great architects behind the best projects in the architecture community in the Middle East. The awarding ceremony will be on November 20.

...the PH tourism pitch in G20 summit

Philippines join first G20 tourism meeting 


Catherine Talavera
Philippine Star
08 November 2019

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is spreading its message of sustainable tourism to the world’s top economies as it joined the recent G20 Tourism Ministerial Meeting in Japan.

“The strong Philippine-Japan diplomatic relations, the active tourism promotions in Japan and the resounding feat of the Boracay Island rehabilitation have led to the historical invitation of the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) to the first G20 Tourism Ministerial Meeting,” DOT said in a statement.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat led the Philippine contingent in the meeting that delved on how proper tourism planning, development and management can benefit visitors and local communities, and expounded on the role of innovation and digital transformation in the advancement of sustainable tourism.

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Puyat emphasized the DOT’s thrust of creating a culture of sustainable tourism, and how the success of the Boracay Island rehabilitation catalyzed the adoption of sustainable tourism practices across local destinations and tourism-related industries.

“The DOT takes inspiration from the Boracay model, and an evolving framework in creating a culture of sustainable tourism is being applied to other destinations in the country.  Using this model as the benchmark, the DOT, together with government partners, has prioritized and rationalized the enforcement of environmental and related laws in tourism destinations from northern to southern Philippines such as the Cordilleras, El Nido in Palawan, Bohol and Siargao,” Puyat said.

The tourism chief also lauded the efforts of the local government units that have been taking proactive measures in protecting and preserving their tourist attractions, now more than ever, becoming  mindful of  carrying capacity levels.

“As we build our brand image of sustainability, the DOT is ensuring brand integrity through updating and promotion of green standards as we accredit and rate our tourism enterprises. In addition, we are developing new training modules to direct the whole tourism industry to embrace sustainable tourism values,” Puyat said.

..the Philippine FDI 2019

Investments in Philippines double up in January -September 2019, hitting 15.14 bln dollars

Xinhuanet.com
08 November 2019

MANILA, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Board of Investments (BOI) said on Friday it has recorded cumulative investments worth 764.7 billion pesos (roughly 15.14 U.S. dollars) as of September 2019, a 105 percent increase from 327.9 billion pesos (roughly 6.50 billion U.S. dollars) approved in the same period of 2018.

"The sustained high growth of investments is a proof of the business sector's strong confidence in both the Philippines' economic fundamentals as further shown by the acceleration of the third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 6.2 percent and the reform agenda of President Rodrigo Duterte," Philippine Trade Secretary and BOI Chairman Ramon Lopez said.

The BOI said approved investments from domestic sources topped 524.9 billion pesos (10.40 billion U.S. dollars), a 54.7 percent increase from 339.3 billion pesos (roughly 6.7 billion U.S. dollars) in the same period in 2018.

On the other hand, the BOI said approved projects by foreign investors amounted to 239.9 billion pesos (roughly 4.8 billion U.S. dollars) or 613 percent increase from just 33.6 billion pesos (roughly 665.7 million U.S. dollars) a year ago.

According to the BOI, Singapore continues to set the pace among all foreign entities with 170 billion pesos (roughly 3.37 billion U.S. dollars) in the capital. It added that South Korea is now second with 34.1 billion pesos (roughly 675.62 million U.S. dollars), while The Netherlands places third with 9.2 billion pesos (roughly 182.3 million U.S. dollars).

According to the BOI, all projects once operational will generate employment of 41,862, which is 38.5 percent higher than last year's figure of 30,218.

"We are particularly pleased to highlight that the share of foreign investments in BOI projects have increased from just eight percent during January to September 2018, to already 31.4 percent this year," Lopez added.

This is expected to continue as Lopez noted that Duterte's policy of furthering relations with non-traditional partners has been yielding results.

Philippine Trade Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo said investments from the information and communications technology (ICT) and power sectors accounted for 85 percent of the total figure or 652.9 billion pesos (roughly 12.94 billion U.S. dollars).

"This massive infrastructure buildup for more power and connectivity across the archipelago is critical towards addressing binding constraints to the Philippines' competitiveness," he added.

...the Fil-Am 2nd NJ mayor

New Jersey borough elects 2nd Filipino American mayor

Don Tagala
ABS-CBN News | North America
07 November 2019

BERGENFIELD, New Jersey - Trump-style mudslinging from incumbent Republican Mayor Norman Schmelz did not stop Filipino-American candidate Arvin Amatorio from becoming the next mayor of Bergenfield, New Jersey on Tuesday's election.

Democratic council president Arvin Amatorio unseated Schmelz by at least 166 votes, making him the second Filipino-American to win as mayor of Bergenfield borough, home to more than 5,000 Filipinos.

"This is a great night for Bergenfield because of you... despite the malicious attack, despite the negativity that has been thrown to us we kept the fight positive," Amatorio told his supporters.

Just four days before the elections, Schmelz sent out a misleading press release using the words "alleges" and "guilty" in its title at the same time.

The said press release made it appear that Amatorio is guilty of violating a trafficking victims' protection act, when all there is was a motion to add his name in a lawsuit where he happened to be the immigration lawyer for the victim.

Another misleading accusation was that Amatorio allegedly did not attend a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, therefore he is not licensed to practice law in New Jersey.

"I’m very happy people did not believe those lies and it’s a vindication that all those things that were thrown against me are not true, people just didn’t believe that," he said.

Robert Rivas, who served as the first Filipino-American mayor of Bergenfield from 2000 to 2002, said he too was a victim of false accusations in his 2003 reelection bid. At that time, he was accused of favoring Filipinos and that he was going to bring Filipino police from the Philippines to patrol Bergenfield.

"We’ll have the good people remain in control not these racist, miserable, sad people who tried to win elections by tearing down the other side," Rivas said.

Another Filipino-American, Salvador Deauna, was also reelected councilman on Tuesday's elections with more than 3,000 votes.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy congratulated Amatorio for his victory through a post on Twitter.

Amatorio will begin his work as mayor in January.

...the PH GDP growth in Q3 2019

Philippine growth accelerates on public spending and rate cuts

But 6.2% expansion in Q3 means year-end pick up needed to hit 2019 growth target

CLIFF VENZON, Nikkei staff writer November 07, 2019 

MANILA -- The Philippine economy grew 6.2% in the third quarter, as government spending and lower interest rates contributed to a recovery from weak expansions in the first half of the year.

The expansion was faster than the median forecast in a Reuters survey of economists of 6%, and up from the previous quarter's pace of 5.5%. The data released Thursday puts growth for the first nine months of 2019 at 5.8% -- still below the government's 6%-7% target.

The data is a boost to the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, as it seeks to safeguard the domestic economy from the impact of the U.S. -China trade war, which has dented the growth of other Southeast Asian countries. Indonesia, the largest economy in the region, announced a 5.02% expansion earlier this week.

Government spending, which jumped 9.6% was a big factor in the acceleration. President Rodrigo Duterte's 2019 budget was not signed until mid-April after congressional wrangling over pork barrel funds delayed its passage. This forced the government to operate based on the 2018 budget, crimping state spending by nearly 1 billion pesos (around $20 million) a day, according to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez.

On the supply side, services rose 6.9%, the industrial sector climbed 5.6%, while agriculture improved 3.1% despite an outbreak of African swine fever that killed tens of thousands of pigs.

The economy must grow 6.7% in the fourth quarter to achieve the full-year growth target. 

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said Thursday this was "very achievable."

"We have seen the economy surging and the momentum will continue for us to reach that," Pernia told reporters in Manila.

The Philippine economy historically sees faster growth in the final quarter, as remittances from 10 million overseas Filipino workers help power a Christmas spending splurge.

Yet, Pernia said external factors could imperil growth. "The trade war between the U.S. and China is the biggest threat not only to the Philippines, but to the whole global economy," he said.

The Philippine central bank has cut the benchmark interest rate by a total of 75 basis points to 4.0% this year amid stabilizing inflation. The central bank also reduced reserve requirements for banks by 400 basis points to 14% in an attempt to pump money into the financial system.

Central bank Benjamin Diokno has signaled that the monetary easing has ended, ahead of the next policy meeting on Nov. 14.

Asked to react to Diokno's stance, Finance Secretary Dominguez, who is also a member of the monetary board, said on Monday that rate cuts were "sufficient" and they "will do the job" for now.

...the World E-Sports Games SEA champion

PH still overall World Electronic Sports Games SEA champion


Gabriel Pe
Spin.ph
05 November 2019

THE PHILIPPINES  was names overall champion in the World Electronic Sports Games (WESG) Southeast Asia for the second year in a row, after getting three podium finishes out of four events.


TNC Predator repeated as regional champ for DOTA 2 after beating Vietnamese team 496 Gaming in a thrilling three-game title series,

The predominantly Filipino squad looked out of form in the opening match, losing key team fights in the late game and ultimately crumbling against their SEA rivals. Backs against the wall, TNC bounced back with a quick sub-30-minute Game 2 to set up a rubber match.

The winner-take-all appeared to be going in 496's favor, as the Viets picked off heroes in the early and mid-game. However, Kim "Gabbi" Villafuerte's Naga Siren was left unchecked and the reigning champions were able to turn the game around with crucial team fights.

TNC, which swept the group stage (4-0), pocketed 7,500 USD — about P379,000 — for coming out on top of the regionals and now have the chance to defend their title in the WESG Global Finals, which will happen March next year.

It was a different story for the country's StarCraft II representative in the upcoming SEA Games, though, as Caviar "EnDerr" Acampado failed to secure back-to-back WESG regional championships and fell to last year's runner-up, Tran "MeomaikA" Hong Phuc from Vietnam. Both players qualified for the global finals.

EnDerr, who netted $2,000 or about P100,000, managed to take the opener, but MeomaikA maintained composure to go all the way in the Zerg versus Zerg matchup.

Meanwhile, female CS:GO Team Amplify took home bronze and the same prize money as EnDerr.

The group of Kyung In "Tr1cks" Lee, Tiara "Alluka" Pleno, Pat "c0ffee" Lagua, Aya "Kuchii" Kashikawa, and Daisy "Dzai" Madulin lost to Indonesian squad Celeste in the semifinals, then beat Thailand's Mystery to finish third.

...the Japanese innovation investment in PH

Japanese firms to invest $215 million in Philippine innovation projects

Business Mirror
04 November 2019

Japanese firms are investing $215 million in new projects and expansions in the Philippines, as they seek to take advantage of the growing innovation environment here.

On the sidelines of a business forum in Tokyo, Trade Undersecretary Rafaelita M. Aldaba met with Japanese manufacturers to pitch investment opportunities in the Philippines. A total of $215 million worth of projects, most of which related to innovation, were secured during these meetings.

The projects include the opening of the first MOS Burger, Japan’s second-largest burger joint, by March of next year, and the interest of Assemblepoint to develop smart four-wheel electric vehicle using latest Internet of Things technologies.

Also, Satelight is eyeing to outsource animation work from the Philippines, while Kanepackage is planning to build a new factory. Further, Sumitomo Wiring presented during the meetings its expansion projects on wiring harness and components production.

Marubeni Corp. also shared its joint-venture project with two local firms to put up 30 primary care clinics and 10 cancer centers, as well as install five centralized laboratory testing hubs in strategic urban areas.

“There are many potential opportunities for the Philippines and Japan to deepen trade and investment partnership through innovation. I am delighted that the companies I met during this trip are making significant contributions in the areas of creating new industries, products and leapfrogging to Industry 4.0 by adopting smart manufacturing to transform our industries,” Aldaba said in a news statement issued on Monday.

Aside from those who committed to invest, there were investment intentions in infrastructure development, railways, electric vehicle public transport system, retail, manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, factory automation, construction and real estate.

Last week Aldaba presented the government’s Inclusive Innovation Industrial Strategy to over 600 Japanese investors at the Philippine-Japan Business Investment Forum organized by the Nikkei Business Publications Inc. Aldaba discussed the areas where Manila and Tokyo can collaborate under the i3s, which is geared toward improving the manufacturing, agriculture and services sectors of the country.

“In the context of these trade and investment trends between the Philippines and Japan, along with global developments, such as the entry of new technologies, we feel the need to focus our efforts on innovation to address the opportunities and challenges arising from Industry 4.0, but also from increasing global competition, United States-China trade war and regional economic integration,” Aldaba added.

Last year Japan is the country’s third-largest foreign source of investments. Based on records from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Japanese investments in 2018 declined 38.33 percent to P19.72 billion, from P31.98 billion in 2017.

...the Philippine coffee

Philippine coffee wins big in 5th int'l coffee contest in Milan

ABS-CBN News
04 November 2019

MANILA - Two Philippine coffee firms won top prizes at the 5th International Contest of Locally Roasted Coffees in Milan, Italy last month, the trade department said.

Mirabueno Coffee, harvested in Bukidnon, and SGD Bodega Coffee, grown in Sagada, bested 700 other producers from 25 countries for the Gourmet and Bronze prizes in separate categories. 

The competition aims to "recognize the excellence of some producers, too often forgotten in the midst of mass marketing," the Coffee Heritage Project (CHP) said in a statement.

"We hope that with this recognition, we are able to highlight Philippines coffee and the great work of Filipino coffee farmers like those behind Mirabueno Coffee and SGD Coffee, growing one of the finest coffees in the world to be the true artisans of the Philippines' coffee industry," CHP official Richard Watanabe said.

This marks the second time that the Philippines prevailed in the competition following the victory of the collaboration of Bana's Coffee from Sagada and the CHP in 2017.

Mirabueno Coffee and SGD Coffee are part of the CHP, a non-profit private initiative which takes "quality-focused approaches in coffee production," according to the Department of Trade and Industry.

“The coffee competition helps us showcase the broader work we do to reforest land with sustainable and ecological integration of coffee, the high returns and quality of life offered to coffee growers, and our endless pursuit of the next frontiers in coffee roasting and taste," CHP official Butch Acop said.

The Philippine Consul General's Office in Milan received the prizes on Oct. 21 on behalf of Acop, Watanabe, Raymund Mirabueno, Andrew and Mary Tomeg, Felipa Villicana, and Zo Lim.