The PH world rank in financial promo

Philippines ranks 2nd in Asia, 8th worldwide for financial inclusion promotion

By TED CORDERO
GMA News
December 18, 2020

The Philippines remains among the top leaders in financial inclusion, according to the 2020 Global Microscope on Financial Inclusion of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research arm of The Economist Group.

The country ranks second in Asia, next to India; and eight worldwide, tied with Brazil, in the EIU study, which assessed the financial inclusion environment in 55 countries.

The EIU study rated countries across five dimensions, namely Government and Policy; Stability and Integrity; Products and Outlets; Consumer Protection; and Infrastructure.

Together with Thailand and Russia, the Philippines posted the highest improvement in Asia and Eastern Europe, in view of the government’s push to promote digital channels as part of its responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the study.

The Philippines got a perfect score of 100 points in Products and Outlets dimension, which covers Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) regulations on e-money, simplified accounts like the Basic Deposit Account (BDA), and financial outlets such as cash agents.

Focusing on the role of financial inclusion in the COVID-19 response, the EIU study recognized the initiatives of the Philippines to mitigate the adverse economic impact of the pandemic.

The report cited the regulatory relief measures of the BSP to ease liquidity constraints in the financial system, restore business confidence, and sustain the flow of credit amid the unprecedented health crisis.

These include the temporary relaxation of compliance to reporting requirements, easier access to rediscounting facility, and waiver of licensing fees and charges for financial institutions setting up their electronic payment and financial services.

It also cited the initiative of financial service providers to suspend fees for electronic fund transfers during the community quarantine period.

In addition, the EIU report highlighted measures to promote MSME financing such as allowing banks to include loans granted to MSMEs as alternative compliance with reserve requirements, reducing the credit risk weight of MSME loans that are current in status to 50% from 75%, and reducing the minimum liquidity ratio (MLR) for stand-alone thrift banks, rural banks and cooperative banks to 16% from 20% until end-December 2020.

While the Philippines scored lowest in the Infrastructure dimension with 69 points, there is noted improvement from last year’s level owing to ongoing initiatives on digital connectivity, digital identification, and digital payments infrastructure.

The report emphasized the importance of digital infrastructure that includes access to identification, mobile phones, and financial accounts to facilitate efficient delivery of cash assistance to vulnerable segments.

It also noted that better data integration is needed for proper targeting of cash aid program beneficiaries.

The Global Microscope is an annual cross-country assessment of the enabling environment for financial inclusion. Since 2009, the Philippines consistently belongs to the top-ranked countries in terms of having a supportive framework for inclusive finance.

Latin American countries namely Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, and Mexico dominated the top five spots of 2020 Global Microscope. —KBK, GMA News

...the top emerging economy

Philippines is top emerging economy—French firm

By Nestor Corrales
INQUIRER.net

Friday, March 28th, 2014

 

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines is among the top countries with “emerging economies,” a French credit body said in its latest economic publication.

Compagnie Française d’Assurance pour le Commerce Extérieur (COFACE) cited the Philippines as a country with high growth potential and the most favorable prospect of increasing production capacity in the years to come.

COFACE said the Philippines is also considered to have the most favorable business climate.
Other countries recognized as top emerging economies include Peru, Indonesia, Colombia and Sri Lanka replacing Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The criteria used by COFACE to determine the new emerging economies include intermediate level of per capita income (above that of less advanced economies but below that of advanced economies); higher GDP growth rate than most advanced economies; and major institutional transformations.

“This piece of economic good news comes at the heels of the report that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had raised its 2014 economic growth forecast for the Philippines to 6.5%, up from its January projection of 6.3%. Standard and Poor’s (S&P) also raised its growth projection for the Philippines to 6.6% for 2014,” DFA said in a statement Friday.

The IMF and S&P are leading providers of global credit benchmarks, policy advice and research to foster economic development and growth around the world, while the COFACE is the French credit rating agency which publishes quarterly risk assessments for 160 countries.

 

...the PH IMO seat

Philippines re-elected to IMO

By John Carlo Cahinhinan
Sun Star

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

MANILA (Updated) -- The Philippines once again bagged a seat in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) during its 28th Annual Assembly in London, United Kingdom.

The IMO is the United Nations' specialized agency responsible for ensuring maritime safety, security and protection of marine environment, while its assembly serves as the executive organ of the agency that is responsible for overseeing the work of the entire organization.

Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) administrator Maximo Mejia said the country was placed under "Category C," which includes countries with "special interests in maritime transport or navigation."

The Marina administrator explained that a "Category C" nation has special interest in maritime transport or navigation and whose election into the council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world.

Those member states that belonged to the same category include Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, and Turkey.

Around one-third of the world's seafarers' population comes from the Philippines.

Mejia noted that the country, as a maritime nation, is deeply committed to the goals of the IMO in a very concrete manner, particularly on the benefits from the operation of safe and secure ships on clean oceans.

"We rely on the seas to connect our thousands of islands and on its bounty for our food and our economy," Mejia said.

He also reassured the international maritime community of the Philippines' adherence to the conventions, rules and regulations set by the IMO and other international regulatory bodies.

"Being the source of more than a quarter of all seafarers on-board ships in the international trade is a position of great responsibility, and the Philippines reassures the international maritime community of its commitment to the letter and intent of the STCW Convention and to ensuring that the world’s ships are manned by able, competent, and qualified seafarers," Mejia said. (Sunnex)

 

...the PH seat in UNESCO body

Philippines wins seat in UNESCO'€™s World Heritage Committee

By: InterAksyon.com
November 21, 2013

The Ifugao Rice Terraces is one of the five World Heritage Sites in the Philippines designated by UNESCO. (Photo: Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, InterAksyon.com)

 

Tourism in the Philippines got an added boost as the country won a seat in the prestigious World Heritage Committee on Wednesday after elections were held during the 19^th Session of the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention.

This year’s elections brought together 22 country candidates who vied for 12 available seats in the Committee.

The Philippines garnered the second highest vote in the elections, having received 116 votes from the total of 173 votes cast. This was a clear indication of States Parties’ support for and belief in the country’s capabilities to perform the important mission of the Committee.

Together with the Philippines, Croatia, Finland, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Lebanon, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Turkey and Viet Nam will now join the other 9 current members of the World Heritage Committee.
 
The Philippines will serve a 4-year term until 2017.

During her remarks before the General Assembly, Ambassador Cristina G. Ortega expressed appreciation for the trust bestowed upon the Philippines. She assured the Assembly that the Philippines will be an active and responsible member who will work hard for the interests of the world’s cultural and natural heritage. She also said “that this is indeed happy news for my country”.

The General Assembly of States Parties meets every two years and elects new members to the World Heritage Committee to replace the outgoing members and it determines the uniform percentage of contributions to the World Heritage Fund applicable to all States Parties.

The 21-member World Heritage Committee is one of the most prestigious bodies associated with UNESCO whose main responsibility is to implement the World Heritage Convention. The Committee decides on whether a property is inscribed in or deleted from the World Heritage List. It examines reports on the state of conservation of inscribed properties and asks States Parties to take action when properties are not being properly managed. It also determines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests made by States Parties.

The campaign for the Philippine candidature to the Committee was spearheaded by the Permanent Delegation of the Philippines to UNESCO, led by Ambassador Ortega, with valuable support and coordination provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines.

 

...the world's best performing currencies

Peso is 3rd best-performing currency globally

By Prinz Magtulis

The Philippine Star

April 28, 2013

 

MANILA, Philippines - The peso remains one of the world’s best performing currencies, debt watcher Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P) said Friday.

The local currency ranked third globally, appreciating 25 percent in real terms from March 2007 to March 2013, according to the S&P report.

Only the Chinese renminbi and Singapore dollar outperformed the peso. The two currencies have strengthened 29 percent and 26 percent, respectively, from their levels six years ago.

The performance was calculated using the real effective exchange rate (REER), which measures the inflation-adjusted value of currencies versus a basket of other units from trading partners.

“No single member of the 27-member European Union and only one of the 34-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is among the top 10 most appreciated currencies,” S&P noted.

Behind the peso, the Australian dollar ranked fourth, rising 23 percent from its 2007 level. It was followed by the Brazilian real, Colombian peso and Peruvian nuevo sol, which rose 22 percent, 21 percent and 19 percent, respectively.

Rounding up the list was the Russian rubble, which firmed up 18 percent, and Saudi riyal and Venezuelan bolivar, which both appreciated 15 percent, the report stated.

According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the peso has strengthened 6.8 percent versus the greenback last year. It closed at 41.22 to a dollar last Friday, up four centavos from the previous day.
In real terms, the peso increased its value by 6.5 percent versus currencies of trading partners, according to the BSP. “The peso lost external competitiveness in 2012,” it said.

Concerns have been raised against the continued appreciation of the peso, especially on how it trims the value of dollar export earnings and remittances from overseas Filipinos.

The BSP, for its part, has implemented various macro-prudential measures to temper capital inflows causing the peso’s strong performance.

Among others, foreign funds were banned in parking at special deposit accounts (SDA) last July. Interest paid on SDA - money of banks and trust departments with the BSP - were also slashed by 150 basis points this year.

Foreign exchange rules were also further liberalized this month to encourage more outflows and balance the inflows to prevent pressure for the peso to rise.


 

...the world's most optimistic businessmen

Filipino businessmen 2nd most optimistic in global survey

            

By Jovan Cerda

philstar.com

April 10, 2013

 

 

 

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines ranked second in the list of the most optimistic business leaders, the latest results from the Grant Thornton International Business Report showed.

The report, released on Wednesday by accounting firm Punongbayan & Araullo, said 90 percent of Filipino businessmen have very bright expectations for the country's economy in the next 12 months.

The survey, which covered the first quarter of the year, is an improvement of 18 percentage points from the last quarter of 2012.

This makes the Philippines second to Peru, which posted 98 percent optimism among its business leaders.

The Philippine score is way above the global average of 27 percent and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations average of 29 percent.

“Leading up to 2013, there were several positive forecasts for the Philippines, with independent economists projecting stronger growth for the next couple of years. So there is good foundation for this surge in optimism among business leaders,” said Marivic Españo, chair and chief executive officer of P&A.

“And I think businesses here are picking up on the improving mood in the more mature markets, such as the US and Japan,” she added.

The study also showed a massive jump in the global optimism score, which was only 4 percent the previous quarter.

Skilled workforce

Despite the Philippines' positive results, the survey noted that businesses in the country lack an available skilled workforce. Forty-six percent of the respondents considered it a roadblock to growth, an increase from the 20 percent recorded a year ago. Forty-six percent of respondents also said they are planning to hire new employees in the next 12 months.

“Considering this picture, business leaders may run into problems filling positions in their organization,” Españo said.

“It’s an unfortunate situation, because we have a 7.1 percent unemployment rate and yet executives are complaining that they can’t find talent. Perhaps the private sector and the academic community can work together to address this gap before it gets bigger,” she added.

Forty-two percent of Filipino businessmen also cited transport infrastructure as a business constraint, up from 20 percent in the previous quarter.

Expectations for profitability and revenue, however, are both up by 10 percentage points to 74 percent and 76 percent, respectively.

 

...the World Economic Forum host (East Asia summit)

Philippines to host WEF in East Asia 2014

Aquino says foreign investors eager to ride on PH’s success

 

By Correspondent

Emirates 24/7

Monday, January 28, 2013

 

 

 

Philippine President Benigno Aquino attends a session of the

World Economic Forum at the Swiss resort of Davos. (AFP)

 

 

MANILA: The Philippines is now preparing to host the WEF, or World Economic Forum, in East Asia by next year.

 

This according to President Benigno Aquino III, who talked to reporters upon his arrival in Manila on Sunday afternoon from his first attendance at WEF in Davos, Switzerland.

“What I can say is that … they [some world leaders] praised our economic progress, and I felt their desire to continue with good governance, owing to what we have done here,” he said in Filipino, as quoted by the major daily Manila Bulletin.

Aquino was one of the keynote speakers at the forum’s Partnership Against Corruption Initiative (PACI). The others in the group were the heads of state from Mongolia, Peru, and India, who also brought good news about their growing economies.

In Zurich, where he spoke before a crowd of about 500 members of the Filipino-Swiss community on Saturday, Aquino said that foreign investors are now lining up to ride on the country’s economic success.

He told them that the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) may hit the 7,000-mark milestone within this year, or will reach 6,500 on February 8, his birthday.

The PSEi, seen as a bellwether of how the Philippine economy and the business landscape will fare, closed at 6,167.64 on Friday. It has hit new record highs for over 70 times since 2010, when Aquino first assumed office.

The Philippine peso, which closed at 41.05:$1 at the end of 2012, was the second-fastest appreciating Asian currency against the United States dollar last year.

Professor Klaus Schwab, who founded WEF, has lauded the Philippines for its economic reforms.
“If we further help each other, I won’t be surprised if we make it to the Guinness Book of World Records because of the strong performance of our stock exchange,” Aquino said, as quoted by Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Doris Dumlao.

He recalled how he joined some of the foreign trips made by her late mother, Corazon Aquino, when she became the country’s president after the exile of the strongman Ferdinand Marcos to Hawaii, leaving the Philippine economy in a quagmire.

“We went to Japan and we were almost begging for them to put up businesses in the Philippines,” he said. “But these days, there’s a long line of investors for us. They are eager to invest in a wide array of sectors from education and infrastructure to information technology.”

...the Gusi peace prize awardee

Filipino peace prize awardee

By Manila Standard Today
Nov. 26, 2012

Dr. James G. Dy, the Gusi Peace Prize winner for Social Services and Philanthropy, was the only Filipino among 20 Laureates out of 128 candidates from Canada, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Iraq, Kuwait, Serbia, Uganda, Mauritius, Argentina, USA, China, United Kingdom, Mexico, Slovenia, Finland, Ukraine, Malaysia, Peru, and Russia.

Recognition rites will be held on November 28 at the Philippine International Convention Center for the philanthropist, who has been involved in social, civic and charitable work for more than 30 years.

Dr. Dy is the President of the Philippine Chinese Charitable Association Inc., which operates the Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center that served as his vehicle in supporting various charitable causes, including fund-raising and livelihood projects, medical and dental missions to far flung areas, and relief operations to devastated communities in times of calamities and disasters.

In 2002, he was elected Governor of the Philippine Red Cross and Governor of the Philippine Constitution Association, positions which he holds up to this day.

He earned four honorary doctorate degrees: Doctor of Humanities, University of Pangasinan in 1999; Doctor of Business Administration, Lyceum-Northwestern University, Pangasinan, in March 2004; Doctor of Humanities, Central Luzon State University, Nueva Ecija, November 2006; and Doctor of Philosophy in Technology Management, Technological University of the Philippines, March 2007.

Dr. Dy was named Outstanding Filipino Awardee for Humanitarian Service by the Philippine Jaycee Senate and Insular Life Insurance Ltd. He also received the Outstanding Manilans Award for having distinguished himself in business and industry, hospital administration and humanitarian advocacy during the 428th Founding Anniversary of Manila, and was the outstanding Chinese-Filipino to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Dr. Jose P. Rizal Awards for Excellence. His qualities as a civic leader and as a father were recognized by the Ulirang Ama Award along with the conferment of the title Ambassador for Medical Tourism in 2001.

...the world's most emotional societies

 

PH named 'most emotional society' in global list

By Kim Arveen Patria

Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom

22 November 2012

 

Pinoy fans show a variety of emotions during a football game in Manila. (File Photo by Marlo Cueto, NPPA Images)

 

 

It has been dubbed as a "bright spot" amid a global slowdown and a "rising tiger" in Southeast Asia, and now the Philippines is also deemed the best in a criteria money can't buy: emotions.

This, as the Philippines is named "most emotional society" in over 140 countries surveyed by U.S. pollster Gallup, a Businessweek report Wednesday said.

Asked questions aimed at determining recently felt emotions, 60 percent of Filipino respondents answered "yes."

But that doesn't necessarily make most Pinoys drama queens, as it could also easily mean that they are the clowns.

Among the questions in the Gallup survey, Businessweek said, are: "Did you feel well rested yesterday? Were you treated with respect all day yesterday? Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday?"
 

Respondents were also asked if they experienced enjoyment, physical pain, worry, sadness, stress or anger "during a lot" of the previous day.

Next to the Philippines in terms of feelings are El Salvador, where 57 percent admit to expriencing a lot of emotions; Bahrain, 56 percent; and Oman, 55 percent.

Tied at 55 percent "yes" are Chile, Costa Rica, Guatamala, Bolivia, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Peru, Nicaragua and the U.S.

Singapore, meanwhile, emerged as the "most emotionless" society with only 36 percent of respondents saying they experienced a lot of feelings in the previous day.

It was followed by Georgia and Lithuania at 37 percent; and Russia, Madagascar, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazahkstan, Nepal and Kyrgystan, which are tied at 38 percent.

Earlier this year, the Philippines figured in the group of countries deemed "happy" in a separate global survey dubbed the "Happy Planet Index."

The country ranked 25th in the latest Happy Planet list, dropping from being 14th in 2009, with an index score of 52.4.

Meanwhile, official government measure of happiness was pegged at 66.2 index points in 2010, down from 67.24 in 2008.

Pinoys are happiest in the areas of education, love life, friends, family and work, data from the National Statistical Coordination Board showed.

However, Filipinos think that the "most important" sources of happiness are family, health, religion or spiritual work, work as well as peace and security.

...the PH Microfinance ranking

Philippines 4th In Microfinance Ranking

 

 

EIU Report

By CHINO S. LEYCO

October 26, 2012

 

Manila Bulletin  The Philippines has ranked fourth in an annual global survey on microfinance business environment, based on the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) report, citing the country's stable market.

According to the report, the country scored 63.3 points, up by 4.8 points, or two notches higher compared with last year's Global Microscope on the Microfinance Business Environment report.

The Philippines ranked fourth out of 55 countries in an annual global survey, trailing behind Peru (79.8 points), Bolivia (71.8 points), and Pakistan (67.4 points).

The Microscope 2012 survey was conducted in the 12 months ending in June.

EIU explained the rankings were based on regulatory framework and practices, in which the Philippines was placed on top along with Peru; and the supporting institutional framework, wherein the country ranked 15 along with Brazil, Nicaragua, and Uruguay.

The survey also noted the "stability" of microfinance markets, if they are vulnerable to any political shocks.

“The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas continues to promote an enabling environment for microfinance, seeing it as one of its key poverty reduction efforts,” the report read.

The survey has also recognized key efforts of the BSP such as increasing the ceiling for microfinance loans to P300,000 from P150,000 and the lower house's approved measure allowing foreign ownership of up to 40 percent in rural banks.

The proposed measure, however, remains pending in the Senate.

In January, the BSP approved a microfinance loan called “microfinance plus” that microenterprises and small businesses can avail of to fund their expanding operations, allowing borrowers to take out a maximum of P300,000 to fund their growing business.

Microfinance, generally, has originally intended to mean financing for microenterprises or small livelihood activities but the BSP has since expanded the loan products to include microfinance housing, micro-agri loans, micro-insurance and micro-deposits.

For all loans, it starts with P150,000 up to a maximum of P300,000. Currently, there are 202 microfinance institutions operating in the Philippines.

...the first Asian to Royal Academy

Angara 1st Asian named to royal Spanish academy

By TJ Burgonio
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sunday, March 18th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—The prestigious Real Academia Hispano Americana de Ciencias, Artes y Letras de Cadiz (Hispanic American Royal Academy of Arts, Sciences and Letters) has a new member from Asia.

Sen. Edgardo Angara is the first Asian to be appointed Corresponding Academic Member of the academy, founded in 1909 with King Alfonso XIII as it first honorary president, to promote cultural ties between Spain and the Hispanic nations of Latin America.

The academy is a corporation under Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is based in the historic Spanish city of Cadiz. Its current honorary president is King Juan Carlos I.

“This is a great honor not only for myself but also for our country and I thank the Royal Academy for the incomparable opportunity to be a member of their academic community,” Angara said.

He described the Royal Academy as one of Spain’s leading institutions on the humanities “endowed with the unique role of promoting linkages with Hispanic nations in America.”

According to Angara, the academy was now reaching out to Asia, primarily through the Philippines.

“We share a common heritage and a common goal—to once again become partners in economic, social and academic development,” he said.

Rekindling Spanish ties

Angara was nominated and appointed for his contributions in revitalizing and strengthening the Philippines’ relations with Spain, Mexico and other Latin American nations with which it shares a common history and heritage of being at one time related to the countries in the Iberian peninsula, particularly Spain.

The senator’s efforts to rekindle the Philippines’ historic ties with Spain and Mexico led to the institutionalization of the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Act and the Dia del Galeon (Day of the Galleon) celebration, according to his profile.

Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day is celebrated every June 30. The first International Dia del Galeon Festival was held in September and October 2010, commemorating the importance of the galleon trade which flourished between 1565 and 1815 between Manila and Acapulco in Mexico. The Philippines played a key role in the trade route using galleons which linked Asia to Europe via Mexico.

Outstanding academic

Angara was awarded Spain’s Premio Casa Asia in 2010, the first Southeast Asian to win the foreign policy prize. He is also the Philippines’ official representative to the Unión Latina, an organization consisting of 37 member-nations speaking the neo-Latin languages.

The senator was also cited as an outstanding academic and intellectual, having served as president of the University of the Philippines, and for his advocacy of the development of education, culture and the arts.

Alicia Castellanos Escudier, treasurer and member of the Royal Academy’s board of governors, said the board approved the appointment of Angara as Corresponding Academic Member from Manila in February.
The Royal Academy has Corresponding Academic Members from Spain, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Colombia, the Czech Republic and the United States.

Angara said he will be delivering his inaugural address as Corresponding Academic Member before the Royal Academy at a date still to be set.

His responsibilities include sitting as a member of the committees overseeing the publication of the Royal Academy’s books and other publications.


Longest-serving senator

Angara is one of the country’s longest-serving senators, having been elected to four consecutive six-year terms since 1987, except during a mandatory term break from 1998 to 2001. He served as president of the Senate from 1993 to 1995 during the term of President Fidel Ramos.

Angara, who served as president of the University of the Philippines from 1981 to 1987, started his political career when he was elected one of the delegates from Quezon province to the 1971 Constitutional Convention.

He served as agriculture secretary of deposed President Joseph Estrada from 1999 to January 2001, and then briefly served as Estrada’s executive secretary from Jan. 6 to 20, 2001.

A founding member of the prominent Angara, Concepcion, Cruz, Regala and Abello (Accra) law office, he was president of the Philippine Bar Association and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in the 1970s.
In 1980, he became founding president of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Law Association.

The Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Act and the Dia del Galeon were institutionalized through Angara’s efforts to revive the country’s ties with Spain and Mexico, Spain’s colony in the Americas through which it administered the then Philippine colony.

In 2010, Angara became the first Southeast Asian to be awarded Spain’s foreign policy award, Premio Casa Asia. He was also selected to receive the Commandeur de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques—the Commander grade of the French Republic’s Order of Academic Palms—for his contributions to promoting excellence in higher education.

The Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Order of Academic Palms) is an Order of Chivalry of France for academics and cultural and academic figures.

Born on Sept. 24, 1934, in Baler, Aurora, Angara received a law degree from UP in 1958 and his master of laws from the University of Michigan in 1964.

He has four children with his wife, the former Gloria Manalang.

...the K-Pop grand prize winner

Philippines' Karla Carreon bags grand prize in K-pop World Festival

By JONATHAN M. HICAP

December 8, 2011

Manila Bulletin

Karla Carreon

MANILA, Philippines – Karla Maye Carreon of the Philippines and a duo from Kazakhstan won the grand prizes in the K-pop World Festival 2011 held on Dec. 7 in Changwon City, South Korea.

They bested 19 other teams from Los Angeles and New York City in United States, Japan, Argentina, Peru, England, Poland, Vietnam, Indonesia, Czech Republic, China, Germany, France, Russia and Chile.

Carreon’s triumph was announced by the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in the Philippines on Facebook last night.

“This just in! Karla Carreon won the grand prize,” KCC Philippines posted.

Carreon was declared grand champion in the vocalist category and was awarded 5 million won (P191,000).

She told Bulletin Entertainment that she was really surprised when she was declared as champion.

“I feel really happy and surprised because I didn't really expect to win the world wide competition. I was nervous at first because I thought I'd never make it, because the other contestants were so good, they were like K-pop stars themselves,” she said.

Carreon performed the Korean song “Byul (Star)” by Yumi while the team from Kazakhstan performed SHINee’s “Ring Ding Dong.”

The K-pop World Festival 2011 is a talent contest that showcased the winners from local competitions held by different Korean Cultural Centers in various countries.

The competition in Korea was supported by Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korean Culture and Information Service and the Presidential Council on Nation Branding.

K-pop stars like MBLAQ, T-ara, Infinite, Sistar, Secret, K.Will, and CNBlue also performed in the festival.

Last October, Carreon won the right to represent the Philippines in the K-pop World Festival when she bagged the first place in the Pinoy K-pop Star contest sponsored by KCC Philippines.

Carreon told Bulletin Entertainment in October, “I started singing when I was three years old, when my mom was listening to Michael Jackson and Bee Gees. She heard me singing their songs in gibberish but surprisingly in tune and that's when she and my family decided to let me take up basic vocal lessons. It was heavy for a three-year-old, but I had fun,” she said.

“I feel so honored and blessed to be representing KCC Philippines in Korea this December. This will be another big shot for me; another experience to last a lifetime,” she said.

This is her third win in a singing contest this year. Before her triumph in the Pinoy K-pop Star contest, she joined the World Championships of the Performing Arts (WCOPA) in Los Angeles, California last July where she won four silver medals.

KBS World will air the K-pop World Festival on Dec. 30.

...the world's best islands

Boracay world's 4th best island

By ROBERT R. REQUINTINA

July 17, 2011

Manila Bulletin

MANILA, Philippines -- Boracay Island in the Philippines has been named the fourth Best Island in the world, in the 16th annual “World’s Best Awards” released by an influential American travel and leisure magazine.
 

Known for its white sand beaches, Boracay Island in Aklan received a score of 89.83 in the annual Top 10 Best Island list this year as surveyed by Travel + Leisure Magazine.
 
The Top Island award went to Santorini, Greece, 90.61; Bali, Indonesia was second with 90.45, and Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, 89.90, third.
 
Other islands which made it to the list are the Great Barrier Reef Islands, Australia, 89.68; Sicily, Italy, 89.51; Big Island, Hawaii, 89.11; Kauai, Hawaii, 89.11; Maui, Hawaii, 88.59 also in Hawaii.; and Galapagos, 88.22.

For the Top Island category, the readers voted for natural attractions, activities/sights, restaurants/foods, people, and value.

In the Top 10 cities, Bangkok, Thailand, was the top choice, with a score of 90.49. Second was Florence, Italy, 89.92; and Rome, Italy, 88.45, third.
 
Other top cities in ranking were New York City, USA, 88.40; Istanbul, Turkey, 88.18; Cape Town, South Africa, 88.06; Siem Reap, Cambodia, 87.90; Sydney, Australia, 87.84; Barcelona, Spain, 87.83; and Paris, France, 87.78.

In the Top 10 Hotel Spas category, Discovery Shores also on Boracay Island was ranked No. 7, with a score of 95.63.

The top honor went to Sofitel Queenstown Hotel and Spa in New Zealand, 98.93.
 
Travel + Leisure is 74-year-old magazine based in New York City. It is published by the American Express Publishing Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Express Company led by President and chief executive officer Ed Kelly.

...the UNHRC council member

PHL assumes UN rights council membership

GMANews – Wed, Jun 29, 2011

The Philippines formally assumed last week its membership in the prestigious United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.

Philippine Permanent Representative Ambassador Evan Garcia said it was an honor for the Philippines to serve as a member of the UN body.

A news release on the DFA website quoted Garcia as saying the Philippines "looked forward to working closely with all members and relevant stakeholders of the Council."

The Philippines had received 183 votes in elections held in the UN General Assembly in May 2011 to re-enter the UN human rights body.

It previously served as a founding member of the UNHRC from 2006 to 2010.

Garcia reported on Philippine initiatives at the recently concluded 17th session of the Human Rights Council. Among the items reported are:1. The HRC adopted by consensus the Philippines and Germany's resolution on combating trafficking in persons, especially women and children, which strengthens the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons.At least 87 countries, including the United States, the European Union, and Japan co-sponsored the resolution.2. The Philippines teamed up with Bangladesh to issue a landmark joint statement on the negative impacts of climate change on human rights, particularly on peoples living in developing countries and small island states.The statement called on the HRC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to give more attention to the implications of climate change on human rights.

Over 100 countries co-sponsored the joint statement, including all the members of the African Group and Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), as well as Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Guatemala, Cuba, Peru, Sri Lanka, and Singapore.

Philippine Mission Second Secretary Hendrik Garcia led negotiations on the RP-Germany resolution on combating trafficking in persons and the joint statement on climate change and human rights.3. University of the Philippines Professor Virginia Bonoan-Dandan was appointed by the Human Rights Council as Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity. Dandan previously served as the Chairperson of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

4. Garcia chaired a consultation organized by the OHCHR on draft guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights.In her opening remarks, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay stressed extreme poverty was both a cause and consequence of human rights deprivation.

For her part, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Magdalena Sepulveda played a leading role in the development of the draft guiding principles.

She received inputs from states and relevant stakeholders, including persons living in extreme poverty.
"She emphasized that empowering persons living in extreme poverty through human rights could help eradicate extreme poverty," the DFA said.

Meanwhile, Garcia said the Philippine government under President Benigno Aquino III attaches highest priority to poverty alleviation.

Garcia also underscored the continuing need to enhance international cooperation and assistance to developing countries to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals and build capacities. — LBG, GMA News

..the business challenger winner

Pinay wins business challenge award in Netherlands

By Dheza Marie Aguilar

ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

06/17/2011

NETHERLANDS - For the second time, a Filipina took home the grand prize in the BiD Network Women in Business Challenge, a yearly competition for women entrepreneurs from around the world held here.

Hailing from Bukidnon, Philippines, Nathalie Arsonillo bested 140 businesswomen from Asia, Africa and South America with her organization Sustainable Growth for Rural Venture Inc. (SUGRUVI), which aims to better the lives and income of cassava farmers in her home province, particularly the Matinsalog-Manobo tribe.

Her goal to bring mobile cassava processing units to remote mountains in Bukidnon, in order to minimize spoilage and increase farmers' profits, earned the nod of judges from Dutch Bank ING, and business organizations United Success and iCCO.

“I’m very happy but this is just icing on the cake. My coming here and their efforts to connect me to future investors, I would not get it if I’m alone or if I’m just staying in the Philippines. I made a lot of contacts, I met a lot of people so the future looks great, not only for me but also for all the cassava farmers in the Philippines,” said Arsonillo in Tagalog.

The overwhelmed Arsonillo received 5,000 euros worth of business coaching from and membership to United Success, a women-only business network helping women entrepreneurs all over the world. She would also receive assistance in finding possible investors.

Advancing the lives of cassava farmers

A banker for 11 years, Arsonillo left her job at an international bank in the Philippines in 2008 to start SUGRUVI. Whenever she comes home to Bukidnon, she frequently sees cassava being grown in small patches in the province. She learned that cassava is not only for human consumption but for other productions as well. She thought of uniting cassava farmers into a community making cassava produce.

“Aside from being food on the table, cassava is also being made into noodles, one of the main components of glue, made into chalk, textile and many others. It has a lot of uses and now, one of the big markets for it is the production of ethanol. It’s like corn but only cheaper,” explained Arsonillo.

They partnered with a rural bank and sought other financing schemes to buy the good variety of cassava and distribute it to the farmers for free. She approached San Miguel Corporation to sell cassava chips but the company did not respond very early. For two years, the cassava farmers booked high costs, but no income. Because cassava rots in 48 to 72 hours, the farmers had little time to make them into something useful, thus lowering their income considerably.

“What we want is to make a transport unit that will go from the center to the mountains so the processing will take place there. This will avoid spoilage, lower transportation and labor costs and increase the productivity of the farmers and the organization,” she continued.

Fortunately, after two years of waiting, San Miguel started ordering from SUGRUVI. This inspired Arsonillo even more, as well as the farmers in her organization. She is proud of her kababayans' solidarity as they produce the amount of order that their clients demand.

SUGRUVI now has 278 members, 48% of whom are women and 23% are from the Matinsalog, Manobo tribe.

Social and environmental impact

The BiD Women in Business Challenge, now on its second year, was established to focus on women who are already in business but want to expand. According to Thierry Sanders, director and founder of BiD Network, 27% of all the business pitches they are receiving each year come from women entrepreneurs. Since there wasn't any international competition for these women, to help them assist in the expansion of their businesses, BiD Network pioneered one for them.

“There’s a lot of women entrepreneurs out there and they just need to put their business plans together, find a coach and get financed. They have great business ideas,” said Sanders.

Last year, it was Marianne Olano from Naga City who won the grand prize for her business Baycrafts Jewerly.

“The most important thing we are looking for is an entrepreneur who has growth ambitions. They must have social impact and we are looking for environmental businesses as well. So if you can have that combination of 20% of income growth, social impact and environmental impact you're in the right spot and you're looking for finance because we can help you look for finance,” continued Sanders.

According to Sanders, they do not entertain businesses which have lower that 20% predicted growth income in one year because these will not generate jobs that are needed in the community. He cited the statistics in the United States where 90% of jobs generated in the last 20 years were from companies which had start-up of $250,000 and more than 20% yearly growth.

All the five finalists, including four from Peru and Uganda, got business coaching from BiD and ING especially in areas like finance and investor match-making, marketing, women leadership, overcoming cultural barriers and finding export partners.

They were also advised to find business partners or investors who have solid background to build trust and track records, in addition to having perseverance.

Going International

SUGRUVI is currently only producing for domestic distribution but Arsonillo said that their end goal would be to go international. A few Dutch companies have already expressed interest in looking at their products and using tapioca starch instead of corn starch.

“The cassava chips are still on the starting level but starch is the end of the line. When the selling prices are high, the buying prices are also high so hopefully we can go and reach that goal (of going international),” said Arsonillo.

There is also a possibility of acquiring mobile units and other kinds of technology for their cassava processing. Some investors are also willing to buy SUGRUVI shares, prompting Arsonillo to turn the organization into a corporation.

“We waited for a long time but we didn’t think expect that it will this worth it,” she ended.

..the prexy

DFA: PHL assumes presidency of LMMC until 2012

GMANews – 08 jUNE 2011

The Philippines has assumed the presidency of the Group of Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries (LMMC) for 2011 to 2012 during a meeting in Canada.

The LMMC is a negotiating bloc of 19 countries that harbor 70 percent of the Earth’s biological resources.

“[The Philippine assumption of the LMMC presidency is] a vote of confidence in our stewardship of our bio-resources and our country’s environmental programs," Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a statement Tuesday

The DFA said the group met in Montreal in preparation for the “First Meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefits Sharing of Genetic Resources in Montreal" from June 6 to 10.

In the opening statement delivered by the Philippines, the LMMC called for immediate collaboration on measures to operationalize the Nagoya Protocol, an agreement that establishes more predictable conditions for access to genetic resources.

The Nagoya Protocol, adopted in October 2010, stemmed from the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, which the Philippines ratified on Jan. 3, 2007.

The LMMC was established in 2002 when 17 countries rich in biodiversity banded themselves together to promote their collective interests in the preservation and sustainable use of biological resources and aims to protect traditional knowledge.

“The Philippines has about 7,000 endemic plant, mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, and fish species, and is one of the few nations that is, in its entirety, a megadiverse country and has enacted an access and benefit-sharing law in 1995," the DFA said.

The group’s members include Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, South Africa and Venezuela. — JE/VS, GMA News

...the honeree

Thailand university to honor Aquino

By GENALYN D. KABILING

May 26, 2011

Manila Bulletin

BANGKOK, Thailand — President Aquino will become the first Asian leader to receive an honorary doctorate in Economics from the prestigious Kasetsart University of Thailand.

The President, on a two-day official visit here, will be bestowed with such honor for his laudable policies and programs on enhancing economic growth during a ceremony on Friday here.

"He's the first one," Professor Vudtechai Kapilakanchana of Kasetsart University said, referring to Aquino, the first President in Asia to receive such doctorate degree. "In the old days, we gave the doctoral degree to the President of Finland, and the President of Peru.....this is our honor to have you receive that doctoral degree from Kasetsart University," the professor added.

Vudtechai said the honorary doctorate degree will be conferred on President Aquino for having done a "lot of things in the area of the economy" when he was a lawmaker and for his "policy of focusing on the economy for the well being of the Filipino people" as the country's duly elected leader.

Aquino, an economics graduate from the Ateneo de Manila University, has received a number of honorary doctorate degrees on law and economics since he assumed office last year.

Vudtechai said the Kasetsart University, establised in 1943, is considered the pioneer school of agriculture in Thailand. The university courses were later expanded to other fields of learning.

"We can say that in the field of agriculture, we are number one. We're also number one in agro-industry as well as in the field of veterinary medicine and computer and software engineering," he said.

He also cited that the Kasetsart University has maintained close relations with the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna in recent years.

"We sent a lot of staff to study there... Right now, I think we have Philippine students in our university...it is also our main policy to have foreign students in our university," he added.

He also highlighted the importance for Asian countries such Thailand and the Philippines to focus on agriculture because of their respective suitable lands, and climate.

...the new specie

PH lizard lands on top 10 list of new species

Philippine Daily Inquirer 

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

WASHINGTON—A Philippine fruit-eating lizard measuring 1.8 meters (6 feet) in length was among the top 10 new species discovered in the world last year, US scientists said on Monday.

Also on the list were a jumping cockroach, a glow-in-the-dark fungus, a rust-eating bacterium, a leech named “T-rex.”

The creatures were discovered in the Philippines, Brazil, Madagascar, South Africa, Peru, West Africa, the US state of Oregon, Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic Ocean.

The top 10 list was compiled by global experts and released annually by the International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE) at Arizona State University.

The Philippine fruit-eating lizard, which weighs 10 kg (22 pounds), can only be found living on trees in the Sierra Madre forest on Luzon island.

The lizard, which is brightly colored with stripes of gold flecks, has “a scaly body and legs that are blue-black mottled with pale yellow-green dots and a tail marked in alternating segments of black and green,” the IISE said.

‘Tyrant leech king’

The leech named after a ferocious meat-eating dinosaur was removed from a man’s nose in Peru.

While the leech measures less than 5 centimeters (2 inches) long, its powerful jaw and massive teeth earned it the name Tyrannobdella rex, which means “tyrant leech king.”

Scientists in Canada and Spain identified the iron-oxide munching bacterium from a section of the Titanic which sank deep into the Atlantic Ocean in 1912 after striking an iceberg.

“Researchers believe this bacterium could be useful in the disposal of old ships and oil rigs that lie deep in the ocean,” the IISE said in a statement.

The IISE said minuscule mushrooms in the forests of Sao Paulo, Brazil, were found to “glow constantly, emitting a bright, yellowish-green light,” becoming one of the around 70 species of fungi in the world known to be bioluminescent.

Legs for jumping

A cockroach that mimics a grasshopper in its jumping ability was detected in South Africa.

The Saltoblattella montistabularis has legs specially made for jumping, a stabilizing antenna and round eyes at the sides of its head.

A raspy cricket, Glomeremus orchidophilus, found in the Mascarene Archipelago in the Indian Ocean was discovered to be the only creature that pollinates a rare orchid, Angraecum cadetii.

Scientists in the northwestern state of Oregon found an unusual mushroom thriving under the chilly waters of the Rogue River.

Darwin’s Bark Spider

And a spider that can weave its web—with silk twice as strong as any spider known to man—across the entire width of a river was discovered in Madagascar.

“The webs of Darwin’s Bark Spider have been found spanning rivers, streams and lakes, and in one instance, a web stretched 25 meters (82 feet) across a Madagascar river with at least 30 insects trapped in it,” the IISE said.

Other top selections included a new type of antelope and a pancake batfish—a fish that resembles a walking bat when it moves awkwardly through the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

“Our best guess is that all species discovered since 1758 represent less than 20 percent of the kinds of plants and animals inhabiting planet Earth,” said Quentin Wheeler, an entomologist who directs the IISE.

“A reasonable estimate is that 10 million species remain to be described, named, and classified before the diversity and complexity of the biosphere is understood,” Wheeler said. AFP