...the PH films French Knight

Philippines Film Development Chairman Honored With French Knighthood

 

 

 

by Patrick Brzeski

The Hollywood Reporter

10/25/2013

 

 

 

Briccio Santos

Briccio Santos was named a member of the French Légion d’Honneur for “his efforts in developing and promoting Philippine cultural identity through cinema.”

French President François Hollande has named Briccio Santos, chairman of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), an official member of the French Légion d’Honneur.

French Embassy audiovisual attaché Martin Macalintal told the local Philippine press that Santos is being honored for “his efforts in developing and promoting the Philippine cultural identity through cinema, particularly in the preservation of Philippine film heritage through the creation of the National Film Archives of the Philippines, which is an advocacy greatly supported by France.”

Santos was appointed FDCP chairman in 2010 by President Benigno S. Aquino and has been credited with reinvigorating the body. Santos’ office founded the National Film Archive of the Philippines in 2011, an institution that had been sorely needed by the country for the preservation of its cinematic heritage. In 2012, the FDCP launched the country’s first International Film Expo (IFX), which combines an industry market with seminars and panel discussions to help educate and promote the Philippine industry. The first Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival, featuring 10 films funded by the FDCP and directed veteran Philippine filmmakers, followed the second edition of IFX held this September.

Santos told Philippine press the French honor is “a recognition, not only for me, but also for our country, in our continuing struggle to bring culture to the forefront of national consciousness.”

The FDCP chairman’s honor caps off a strong year for Philippine cinema. At this year's Cannes Film Festival, for the first time three Philippine features screened in the Directors' Fortnight and Un Certain Regard sidebars: Adolfo Alix Jr.’s prisoner of war piece, Death March; Lav Diaz’s four-hour meditation on injustice, Norte, The End of History, and crime thriller On the Job, from Erik Matti.

Matti’s On the Job was picked up for U.S. distribution before Cannes and Universal Pictures later optioned the film for a remake.

“We have a really hardworking FDCP today,” said Matti in recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “There used to be a useless group of people running it, whose main agenda was how to bloat the budget of projects so they could earn money from them, or travel abroad at the expense of the government. The new team under Briccio Santos really has their heart in the right place and they seem to understand the plight of the artist in relation to the country.”

Santos said the French honor “only strengthens my resolve to continue with the FDCP mission to help in the cultural empowerment of the country.”

“With this award, trust is brought back to state institutions such as FDCP,” he added.

 

...the Asia-Pacific best performer in gender equality

PH best performer in Asia-Pacific in gender equality–WEF

By Doris C. Dumlao
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Friday, October 25th, 2013

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–The Philippines is the best performer within the Asia-Pacific region when it comes to gender equality and the country has likewise improved its global ranking to 5th place from 8th in the 2013 Global Gender Gap Report.

This latest annual gender equality-focused report of the World Economic Forum ranked 136 countries on their ability to close the gender gap in four key areas: economic equality, political participation, health and survival and educational attainment.

“The Philippines remains the most advanced country in the (Asia-Pacific) region in terms of gender equality, ranking 5th in the global index. It improves as a result of advances in economic participation and opportunity, a subindex of the report, as well as having a strong score in terms of political participation,” WEF said in a statement issued on Friday.

The report said the Asia Pacific region had now closed 67 percent of its gender gap but still lagged every region in the world except the Middle East and North Africa when it comes to economic equality between the sexes having closed only 56 percent, the report said.

The eighth annual edition of the Report ranked Iceland closest to equality for the fifth year running.

It, along with Finland (2nd), Norway (3rd) and Sweden (4th), has now closed over 80 percent of its gender gap.

“Countries will need to start thinking of human capital very differently – including how they integrate women into leadership roles. This shift in mindset and practice is not a goalpost for the future, it is an imperative today,” said Klaus Schwab, WEF founder and executive chair.

“Both within countries and between countries are two distinct tracks to economic gender equality, with education serving as the accelerator. For countries that provide this basic investment, women’s integration in the workforce is the next frontier of change. For those that haven’t invested in women’s education, addressing this obstacle is critical to women’s lives as well as the strength of economies,” said Saadia Zahidi, co-author of the report and head of the Women Leaders and Gender Parity Programme.

Elsewhere in Asia, China continues to hold 69th position after improving its overall score. Japan loses four places to 105, mainly because of a decrease in the number of women in parliament which overshadows a rise in its economic participation and opportunity score. Korea, on 111, slips three places largely on account of a decrease in labor force participation and perceived wage equality.
Germany, in 14th place, is the highest-placed individual G20 economy, although it fell by one notch from 2012.

The best performer among BRICS (the grouping of fast-growing emerging markets coined to refer to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) is South Africa at 17th place, followed by Russia (61th), Brazil (62nd), while the two Asian BRICS ranked lowest, with China at 69th and India at 101st.

At the global level, the report found that in 2013, 96 percent of the health and survival gender gap had now been closed. It is the only one of the four pillars that has widened since the report was first compiled in 2006.
In terms of education, the global gender gap stood at 93 percent, with 25 countries having closed their gaps completely. The gender gaps for economic equality and political participation are only 60 percent and 21 percent closed respectively, although progress is being made in these areas, with political participation narrowing by almost 2 percent in the past year.

In both emerging and developed countries alike, relative to the numbers of women in tertiary education and in the workforce overall, women’s presence in economic leadership positions is limited.

Europe’s progress towards eliminating its gender gap is polarized, with countries from Northern and Western Europe presenting a stark contrast to those from the South and East. Spain came in 30th, having closed 72 percent of its gender gap. France ranked 45th (70 percent closed) while Italy ranked 71st.

Latin America’s leading nation when it comes to closing the gender gap is Nicaragua. At 10th place, it has now ranked in the top 10 for two years, largely on the back of a strong performance in terms of political empowerment. Cuba is next (15th), followed by Ecuador (25th). Mexico climbed 16 places to 68, due to increases in the number of female parliamentarians and the number of women in professional roles. Brazil held firm at 62nd despite a slight improvement in its overall score.

 

...the New 7 Wonder Cities finalists

Vigan among finalists in 'New 7 Wonders Cities' campaign


            

 philstar.com

October 22, 2013

 

 

File photo of the Heritage Village in Vigan City. Val Rodriguez/The Philippine Star

 

MANILA, Philippines - The historic city of Vigan in Ilocos Sur has been included in the shortlist for the "New 7 Wonders Cities" in the world.

Vigan, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, is the only Philippine city in the list of 28 candidates that were selected as advised by a panel of experts.

Bernard Weber, founder-president of Swiss firm New7Wonders, said the selection of the finalists is "particularly exciting in its variety."

“This outstanding shortlist of 28 cities mirrors the diversity of urban society, especially when, for the first time in history, more than half of our planet’s population lives in cities," Weber said on the New7Wonders website.

Vigan is one of the few Hispanic towns in the country and is best known for its well-preserved colonial architecture.

Like the other finalists, Vigan was selected from an initial long list of 77 voted candidates that also included the cities of Cebu and Iloilo.

The shortlisted cities will now undergo three elimination phases determined by public voting through the New7Wonders website, which will end on December 7, 2014.

 

The 28 finalists are (in alphabetical order):
Athens, Greece
Bangkok, Thailand
Barcelona, Spain
Beirut, Lebanon
Casablanca, Morocco
Chicago, USA
Doha, Qatar
Durban, South Africa
Havana, Cuba
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Istanbul, Turkey
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kyoto, Japan
La Paz, Bolivia
London, United Kingdom
Mendoza, Argentina
Mexico City, Mexico
Mumbai, India
Perth, Australia
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Prague, Czech Republic
Quito, Ecuador
Reykjavik, Iceland
St. Petersburg, Russia
Seoul, South Korea
Shenzhen, China
Vancouver, Canada
Vigan, Philippines

...the ex-househelp millionaire

How Pinay ex-house helper became a millionaire

 

by Jon Carlos Rodriguez,

ABS-CBNnews.com

10/19/2013

 

 

MANILA, Philippines – A former house helper in London who used to get a monthly salary of P7,000 is now earning millions from her cosmetics and soap laboratory in San Pablo, Laguna.

On ABS-CBN’s “My Puhunan”, Dina Dela Paz-Stalder said she started out with almost no capital at all, only relying on her doctor friends to supply her with beauty and cosmetic products to produce and sell.

From there, Stalder saw potential in the venture, highlighting that she immediately found passion in selling make up, soaps, and other beauty products.

“Siguro ito ‘yung trabaho na minahal ko at isina-puso ko. This is the kind of business or job that I really want,” she said.

Working overseas

Stalder, who was born and raised in Laguna, recalled how she struggled to finish school because of financial issues.

Dina Dela Paz-Stalder on ABS-CBN's "My Puhunan"

“Walang baon, minsan walang shoes. Pero maganda din ang kinalabasan kasi out of that, doon ako naging inspirado na magtapos,” she said.

She earned a degree on medical technology, but will not practice it until years later.

While employed as a domestic helper in London, she also studied facial skin care procedures.

She decided to return to the Philippines in 1986, but did not have any money to put up her own business.

But what she lacked in finance, she made up for in passion.

“’Yun ang dapat gawing inspirasyon ng mga kasambahay na kagaya ko before kasi hindi habang panahon kasambahay ka,” she said.

Stalder Laboratories

From mixing a small pot to make beauty products, Stalder is now running Stalder Laboratories in her hometown of San Pedro.

The name came from her husband, Christopher Stalder, a Swiss foreigner she met through her brother. Unlike other overseas Filipina workers, however, Stalder said she did not meet her partner abroad.

“Ang kaibahan lang, dito siya ipinanganak, dito siya nag-aral. Nag-meet lang kami because of my brother, hindi siya ‘yung talagang ‘rich, Swiss guy,’” she said.

The lab, which opened in 1999, is currently earning P20 million to P30 million a month and is one of the biggest skin care manufacturing companies in the country.

Aside from producing 25,000 papaya soaps daily, the lab also manufactures shampoo, hand sanitizer, lotion and other beauty products.

Stalder shared that a 30-milliliter bottle of hand sanitizer that cost P15 to make can sell for P40 to P45.

She attributed her success to the passion she put in the work, saying she herself gives importance to beauty and health.

“Dati kasi overweight ako ng 25 pounds, with my height parang nakaka-insecure when you see people around na healthy and sexy,” she said.

“Dapat magkaroon ng kaunting kaalaman sa gusto nilang buksan na negosyo, hindi ‘yung basta basta ka magbubukas,” she added.

Stalder also opened the facial and skincare clinic Diana Stalder, with branches in Metro Manila, Luzon provinces and Visayas.

Paying it forward

For all her successes, Stalder has remained grounded and always eager to share her blessings.
Stalder helped a headband vendor, Cristeta Sarenio, increase her daily income by supplying her with hand sanitizers and soaps to sell.

She also taught Sarenio how to manufacture hand sanitizers using ingredients that can be purchased from a drugstore.

 

...the Emirates Woman of the Year

Pinay chosen as Emirates Woman of the Year 2013

by Rappler.com
10/12/2013

VISIONARY. Filipina Mary Jane Alvero Al Mahdi is honored with UAE's Woman of the Year Award 2013. Photo from Mary Jane's Facebook page.

MANILA, Philippines – Mary Jane Alvero Al Mahdi, 43, used to work in a textile factory. She used to make only 1,000 dirham a month (or about P11,000 a month), according to Gulf News’ Friday Magazine. She is now the CEO of Geoscience Testing Laboratory, a leading independent testing laboratory in the Middle East.

 

She told Gulf News in an interview in 2012, “While we were young, we lived in absolute comfort as my father’s business was thriving. But once his lung condition worsened, he was forced to remain confined to his bed and his business suffered."

 

Al Mahdi, determined to help her father, took part-time jobs, including working at a fast-food chain while she was studying chemical engineering.

 

“I went from riches to rags, and then back to riches,” Alvero told Gulf News. She first worked as a trainee for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) when she graduated in 1991. Her first project there was assisting in the revival of the Pasig River.

 

In 1992 she left for Dubai and worked in a textile factory before she took on a job as a quality assurance officer for Geoscience Testing Laboratory. 10 years later she was named its CEO.

 

“I dreamed of mentoring more people, especially my female compatriots in the UAE,” Al Mahdi said in an interview with GN.

 

According to the UAE’s The National, her most recent award is just one of dozens of accolades. Al Mahdi was honored as the runner-up of the Emirates Businesswoman Award in 2008 and named one of the 100 Most Influential Filipinas by the Filipina Women’s Network (FWN) just earlier this year.

 

On the Emirates Woman of the Year Awards 2013 official website, they said, “She was instrumental in growing her team from eight to over 450 staff. Despite her busy corporate role, Mary also finds time to give back to the community through charitable causes and set up 'The Livelihood Programme' helping people in the UAE upgrade their skills with free education.” She’s also started a private foundation to help street kids in the Philippines.

 

“My wife is an extraordinary Filipina with a unique success story,” her Emirati husband Mohammed Al Mahdi told The National.

 

Al Mahdi said, “I was given a standing ovation during my acceptance speech. I really didn’t expect that.”

 

Upon learning of the award she posted a simple thank you message on her Facebook wall: To God be the glory. – Rappler.com

 

 

...the PH cities in New 7 wonders tilt

Cebu, Iloilo, Vigan vie for New7Wonders title

 

By Kim Arveen Patria

Yahoo Southeast Asia Newsroom

Fri, Oct 11, 2013

 

rajkumar1220 - Mestizo District, Vigan, Luzon, Philippines

After the Puerto Princesa underground river was named one of the new wonders of nature, three Philippine cities are now being recognized by Swiss firm New7Wonders.

The cities of Cebu, Iloilo and Vigan bested more than 200 other cities to be part of “long list” of 77 revealed by New7Wonders President Bernard Weber October 7.

The “long list” of 77 is based on the results of online voting which began in March 2012. More than 300 cities were initially considered from nominations sent from around the world.

“Global in its scope, this remarkable New7Wonders long list reflects the energy and culture of the city at its best,” Weber said in the New7Wonders website.

“[C]ities remind us of the possibilities of civilization when, for the first time in history, more than half of the world’s population live in cities,” he added.

The list of 77 will further be trimmed to 28 and will be subjected to online voting by October 21. The top seven cities will be announced by year-end 2014.

Weber earlier said he hopes the campaign will be a “catalyst for discussing everything from urban planning to metropolitan governance, from tourism to architecture.”

The New7Wonders Cities is the third global voting campaign by the Swiss firm, after the man-made New 7 Wonders of the World and the New7Wonders of Nature.

In 2011, Palawan’s famed Subterranean River National Park was named as one of the world’s New7Wonders of Nature, amid an aggressive campaign by local officials.

Weber said, “My hope is that the New7Wonders Cities campaign will generate debate about the challenges cities face… and how they are responding to them.”

The cities Cebu, Iloilo and Vigan would have to compete with the following cities so far to be among the New7Wonders Cities:

Accra, Ghana
Asuncion, Paraguay
Athens, Greece
Auckland, New Zealand
Baghdad, Iraq
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Bangkok, Thailand
Barcelona, Spain
Beirut, Lebanon
Bethlehem, Palestine
Bogota, Colombia
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Cairo, Egypt
Casablanca, Morocco
Caracas, Venezuela
Cuenca, Ecuador
Chicago, U.S.
Curitiba, Brazil
Cusco, Peru
Doha, Qatar
Dubai, UAE
Durban, South Africa
Edinburgh, UK
Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Havana, Cuba
Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Istanbul, Turkey
Jakarta, Indonesia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kyoto, Japan
La Paz, Bolivia
Lagos, Nigeria
Las Vegas, U.S.
Lima, Peru
London, UK
Mendoza, Argentina
Mexico City, Mexico
Miami, U.S.
Montevideo, Uruguay
Montreal, Canada
Mumbai, India
Muscat, Oman
Naples, Italy
Nadi, Fiji
Nairobi, Kenya
New York, U.S.
Panama, Panama
Paris, France
Perth, Australia
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Prague, Czech Republic
Quito, Ecuador
Reykjavik, Iceland
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rome, Italy
St. Petersburg, Russia
San Jose, Costa Rica
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Santiago, Chile
Seattle, U.S.
Seoul, South Korea
Shenzhen, China
Singapore, Singapore
Surakarta, Indonesia
Sydney, Australia
Tehran, Iran
Tokyo, Japan
Toronto, Canada
Valparaiso, Chile
Vancouver, Canada
Vientiane, Laos
Zurich, Switzerland

 

 

...the PH virtuous cycle of investment

Philippines amid 'virtuous cycle' of investments, says Goldman Sachs exec

By: Maricel E. Burgonio,
InterAksyon.com
October 9, 2013

 

MANILA - Expect not only more investments in the Philippines, but also more local companies venturing overseas, following the country's promotion to investment grade, a Goldman Sachs executive said today.

In a media briefing, Goldman Sachs vice chairman Tim Leissner said the Philippine economy would grow 6.8 percent, or near the higher end of the government's target range of 6-7 percent for this year.

For next year, growth would settle at 5.5 percent.

"There’s a virtuous cycle right now of positive investments here," Leissner said.

He said the peso could appreciate to P40 against the US dollar next year from P43.5 this year on account of more inflows of portfolio and foreign direct investments.

“We’re not concerned more on risk, but on keeping the momentum. There’s a new gain of confidence level. They're starting to look outside the Philippines," Leissner said, referring to local companies.

He said local corporates -- including consumer and financial firms -- are starting to expand abroad, not only in Asia but also in the US.

In turn, international investing community is looking at the Philippines with interest, particularly in the area of infrastructure, which Leissner said should remain the government's focus.

“Philippines is one of the big investment destination because of the growth of confidence. The corporate and bond market will be very active. We see that in 2014. The tapering of the US which was held off for a while is good for the bond issuance and currencies as well,” Leissner said, referring to the US Federal Reserve decision to hold off the withdrawal of its economic stimulus.